


Mary

by GlitterFairy_21225



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: (s), Again, BAMF Klaus Hargreeves, Borderline Personality Disorder, But you wanna know what else he has?, Character Death, Dark Humor, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Father-Daughter Relationship, Friendship, Gaslighting, Gen, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves Needs Help, Klaus Hargreeves has BPD, Klaus Hargreeves has a new Best Friend, Klaus is the distraction, Loneliness, Minor Character Death, Mood Swings, No happy endings, Out of Character, POV Original Female Character, Pansexual Klaus Hargreeves, Protective Klaus Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Self-Harm, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Idealization, Suicide Notes, The siblings are barely in this, Undiagnosed Mental Health Issues, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2020-03-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:09:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21555235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlitterFairy_21225/pseuds/GlitterFairy_21225
Summary: It takes three years. Three years of being clean. Three years of being forced on their father by his siblings. Three years of killing again and again and again for the sake of his little sister and never being given a thank you. Three years getting over his PTSD alone. Three years of being ignored by his family. Three years looking out a window as his siblings snuck out together, played together, as they grew to love each other with him out of the way. Three years locked alone in his room as his powers grew beyond what anyone could have expected. Three years until he snapped.In his bitterness, the world ended thirteen years earlier. The Commission was not happy.Mary has lived a hard life, and has long been under the impression that the world owes her one. When her first family fails her, the new one tells her that her first mission is to save the world. Because of course it is. Sent fourteen years before the apocalypse was intended to come, Mary and her new assassin friend have one year to unscrew Klaus Hargreeves. Mostly Mary though.Why are there so many Daddy Issues though?Note: I realize now that the OC shares the name with a Supernatural character. This is not a crossover.
Relationships: Klaus Hargreeves & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 218





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So obviously I'm not the only one who has a serious weakness for Klaus is the distraction/siblings ignore him stories. And I also have a soft spot for Klaus has a kid story. Sooooooo..... an idea struck.
> 
> I'm starting when Klaus kinda numb to it, and estranged from his siblings. Partially for plot, but to be honest.... every time I read those parts I have to sporadically stop to listen to whatever rendition of She Used To Be Mine is first to pop up on my phone.
> 
> Siblings are pretty much nonentities, because I need them to be, though I'd like to say that I would put them under ooc, because I’d like to believe that if they were put under these circumstances, they wouldn’t be this shitty. But here? Two years. Nada.

When the Hargreeves siblings first time traveled back to their childhood traumas, Klaus had hopes that his family was going to include him on their family bonding mission. He doesn't know why.

Maybe it's Ben. Maybe it's the belief that his brother wasn't going to forget about twelve years of quality bro time. Of course, he always knew Ben would need to reconnect with the others, but he just thought-

It doesn't matter what he thought, none of the decisions he made two years ago makes any sense anymore.

Maybe Klaus shouldn't have been so forgiving when all six of his siblings hung out or snuck out after training with Vanya without him. At the time he justified it, it's an after-training ritual, and Klaus doesn't train her. He's too busy being Dad's distraction. And with the schedule he provided for Luther, they know exactly how much time they could have without Daddy's watchful eye over their shoulders. They could bond with Vanya without fear of being caught, and he provided that.

That was a fact met with scoffs and eye-rolls when he brings it up though.

Which, even then, wasn't great. He agreed to start training _with their father_ for Vanya's sake, and everyone acts like he got off easy while they did all the heavy lifting. He knows cause Five and Luther both individually tell him so.

What did they think being the distraction was? It's Dad, the only possible thing he could do was train. Unless they had a better idea they just hid from him because they couldn't be bothered to answer his questions and told him to fuck off.

But he still goes along and offers himself as a pawn in Five's master plan to stop the apocalypse. He'd do that for them. And he'd also get everything they promised him. Everything he thought he'd lost but always wanted. Klaus would prove that he was serious this time around and after they see it, they'll start fresh. And finally, they could be proud of him.

Proud. The person who came through for them when they needed him to. To everyone's shock, the junkie was one of them. And he'll feel it in their warm smiles and welcoming attitudes. Useful. Dependable. Important. Valuable. That was never something Klaus knew before. But if he takes their father on in stride, they'd look at him that way.

Because then his family will love him, and like magic, everything in their past will become irrelevant. His brothers will love him. And his sisters will love him. They promised they'll love him. And then Klaus will lo-

Klaus will....

Klaus will never have problems again.

So he goes to their father, who is pleasantly surprised, for training. He suspects Dad knows he just wanted to impress his siblings, but if it's true, Dad is too intrigued by his powers, as always, to say no. And it's simple for awhile, he works on manifesting and even getting rid of the ghosts. Not easy, but simple. Then his father wants to try other things with his powers and he's staring at a mouse for five hours until the blue of its soul peaks out and Klaus mentally imagines it being pushed, before its body toppled over. Dead.

Apparently, he can rip souls from living bodies. He can fucking kill people.

It feels sick and disgusting, and Klaus crawls under his covers the first few times it happens, and really, really wishes someone would hug him. But his family needs him, so he just keeps going back.

Even when his brothers look at his pale, shaky face and glare at him. Even when he became too tired to try and join his sibling's bonding time and no one, not even Ben, tries to convince him to come with them. Even when he realizes he's stopped feeling so sick when someone dies. Even when he starts looking forward to feeling that fuzzy shit he gets from seeing the slightest bit of pride on his father's stone cold face when he writes in that fucking notebook.

Maybe if one of his siblings would show him that much gratitude, it wouldn't be that way, but they don't, so Klaus can't help but feel this guilty, disgusting warmth when his father gives a tiny nod every time his soul-ripping takes less time than the last.

And for a boy who never felt the love of a father, had lost the love of most his siblings, and was losing the only brother he thought he'd always have, it was like a gleam of sunshine in a dark, dark room.

He didn't want to fall into this. He knew it was wrong. He knew it was dangerous. But asking to stop distracting their father was like asking to go back on drugs in his brothers' eyes if their reactions were anything to go by. It wasn't about him, it was about Vanya, he shouldn't be so selfish. They were right, of course, Klaus is being stupid (he is stupid!) and so Klaus doesn't know why he always felt so much disappointment along with the shame.

Vanya.... Klaus is never sure what to think about Miss Vanya Hargreeves. Like everyone else, he was scared of her when they first time traveled. But he wanted to help her, which was probably why he took on the distraction role in the first place. She got to be the one in the limelight, just like she wanted. Just like how Ben wanted to be alive and he got that. Klaus is happy for them. Even if he's not there either. The Junkie for The Best of All of Them and The Tragically Misunderstood Basket Case. Probably a steal all things considered.

But that's just Klaus being overdramatic. As always. Just because he has a mission away from them, doesn't mean anything. Their still a team, and a family, and Klaus is a part of that.

He's a part of that. He's a part of that. He's a part of that. Isn't he? He's a part. He's a part of that.

So what's weird is that Dad tells him he can stop going to group training with his brothers and sister if he doesn't want to. Klaus ignores this at first, just like they ignore him during training. And to prove a point Klaus tries to help more, but they just snap at him, like his very presence puts their team out of whack. And maybe it does.

Even Ben rolls his eyes when he tries to recapture a hint of the friendship they used to have. It doesn't feel fond or brotherly like it did before. It feels mean and annoyed and as if Klaus is just a nuisance he's obligated to humor until something important comes up. Maybe that's what he always was to Ben. Maybe he just imagined the fondness in his eyes when Ben would banter with him when it was just the two of them. Klaus was high after all.

No! That's crazy. He refuses to believe that thought at first, but it keeps creeping in with every time Ben is there to witness a glare or a cutting remark and does nothing.

One day Klaus overhears him talking, "When it was just me and Klaus, it always 'crazy thing Klaus does after crazy thing Klaus does'. It was always about him! I mean, of course it was, he was my brother and no one else was taking care of him, I was basically obligated, but honestly, I'm just glad I can do something other than watch an MTV show character all day."

The others laugh, and maybe it was like in tv shows where a character eavesdrops on someone being a dick and leaves immediately before they say how awesome the fucking bastard is, but he runs. He runs to his father's office, where he's not allowed, and with tears running down his face, begs his father to train him, before collapsing into uncontrollable sobs.

Dad calls Grace to handle him, he curls in on his mother, and she tries to soothe him. But Klaus makes the mistake of looking up at his father through tears eyes like he did so many times as a child in that fucking mausoleum.

He knows there isn't pity in his father's eyes. Logically he knows it's true, but that only reminds him that his mother is a machine who was programmed to do this for him, because heaven forbid a father give his son a hug when he witnesses his kid have a meltdown.

Reginald Hargreeves does offer him this statement though. "Honestly, Number Four, it's quite baffling how much of an effect your silly need for your siblings' affections have on you. Your powers have potential the others could only dream of ever reaching."

It is the single nicest thing his father ever said to him.

"Breath." He breathes. "Close your eyes." He closes his eyes. "Focus around you." He does.

The furniture flies around them until he feels trapped in a windstorm, and they all stop midair and fall to the ground almost immediately after he does. Klaus looks around wildly, unsure of what just happened, but Dad clears his throat.

"Grace, if you assess that the boy is alright, tidy this room up immediately." Dad's frosty eyes land on him. "Number Four, if you're through dwelling over your siblings' childish behavior, perhaps we can accomplish something productive before dinner."

His mom's a robot, his father acts like a robot, and he can't make his siblings love him. Klaus nods.

After that Klaus stops trying to change their minds about him and just exists. Which sounds so healthy when it's phrased like that. Which it is! So healthy. What part of that statement doesn't sound healthy?

Probably whatever part of it made him feel that stupid dull feeling all the time. He always knew it was there before, but now it was like it was all-consuming.

Maybe the need to win his family's approval consumed him. Maybe every time his father made him induce a death another piece of him died too, and the fruitless hope that his siblings could ever be proud of a junkie without drugs was the one thing he clung onto and didn't let go. And now that it was gone, all Klaus had left was a blank nothing in his chest.

It was different from the kind of numbness drugs gave him, less intoxicating, more like something he needed to just needed to learn to live with.

Two years after pressing redo on his childhood, Klaus honestly just wonders why it took that long. He actually thought things would be different if he was. Why did he think Ben'd be different? Because it's never, ever different.

What if it was a misunderstanding though? What if he ran away before Ben could finish his point and tell everyone how much he loves Klaus and- And if that were true Ben would notice that Klaus stops following him around like a puppy would it's owner.

So Klaus just goes static for awhile. He stops going to the family meetings he was never welcomed to anyways. Like a zombie, he goes down for meals, keeps his head down as his siblings exchange joking looks when their father isn't looking to keep from dying boredom at the dining room table where no talking is allowed.

One time they start a discrete game of kicking tag under the table, and when he feels a bump on his leg, he assumes someone misaimed and doesn't move. He overhears them talking about why their game stopped later, but no one even thought to ask him. Which could be good, they might murder him if they knew he ruined yet another of their family fun times. Actually, no, that's ridiculous. They expect it from him.

Klaus strikes up the courage to ask Dad if he can stop coming down for meals and just eat before and after training, which already takes up half his schedule, so it's no big deal. From that day forward, Grace brings breakfast and dinner to his room on wooden platter, and he ate lunches in the infirmary.

Without him reminding them of his existence, his siblings forget. Easily. Klaus stops going on heavily publicized missions with the others and instead accompanies Reginald on his business endeavors. He mostly stays in the background until his father needs him to threaten someone with his newfound powers. Sometimes Dad will need him to manifest a dead person, or just hold a clipboard.

By this point, he's discovered that he has even more powers, which is awesome, and a part of him wants to go show Ben or Diego or even Allison, but the little achy part of his chest that always pops up when he thinks about his siblings stops him. Not like they'd care, or see it as anything more than a device to help their family.

So Klaus conjures up a whole army of ghosts and has them obediently sit around him. At his will, they all chant and cheer and congratulate him as he demonstrates his telekinesis.

He senses that a few of the ghosties are crazy. Too far gone to do anything but torment, so why shouldn't he make them his dolls? A few ghosts though, they still have their sanity. And they're scared. So scared, though he makes them smile warmly. Scared of him.

Well he's been scared his entire life. This is fair. It's fair. It's fair.

Dad tells him it's totally okay, which gives Klaus the courage to banish all those icky feelings away. Sometimes Dad will take him to sit under that oak tree in the courtyard, and they'll go over what Klaus needs to do for the day there. Dad says it's his favorite spot, which Klaus thinks is ironic since they poured his ashes there when he died. Strange coincidence. Sometimes Klaus pretends his siblings never, ever see or impress Dad, ever, in even the slightest bit.

They don't do anything to deserve their father's attention. Klaus has done everything. Klaus followed that man to the edge of a cliff, and when he was pushed off, he learned how to fly. He earned his father.

Getting thrown off a cliff can be terrifying, but Klaus Hargreeves learns how to fly.

That's beautiful.

His life is beautiful! Sometimes when he's not busy, he paints. He was always talented in his first childhood, but he gave it up to go on drugs. It's a way to fill time when he's not training or eating or sleeping or in the bathroom or on a mission or going over a mission. And that's basically his daily schedule. And that's so great! Because he's happy that way. Klaus is happy without his family the way they're so, so happy without him.

He still thinks about them. Though how couldn't he? He gets a pretty good view of them sneaking out from his bedroom window. To get donuts maybe? Klaus distantly remembers when he was invited to those. Not after they came back to the past, of course, but when they were actually children, before Five disappeared and Klaus lost himself in his addiction. And they would all just eat donuts. Like a family.

He wonders if they know he's gone. If they know he's not with them. If they miss him. But of course they don't, he lives with them, if they miss him they'd say so. Two years and Klaus is still caught up on them while they've clearly moved on. Them. Them. Them.

Which is stupid! Klaus is doing fine. Klaus is perfect! Klaus is happy. He is. This is what happy feels like. It is.

Deep down, he still fantasizes about them all coming down on him with questions like, 'When did you stop going to meetings, Klaus?' and 'I haven't heard any of your stupid jokes in awhile.' and 'We think you have a sleeping disorder, Klaus.' and 'When did you learn how to fly, Klaus?' like they're actually a tiny bit concerned about him, which they aren't and it isn't right or healthy to be pretending that they are.

Klaus stays in bed all day unless he's drawing or painting or working on his awesome powers or making his father love him and not them! He barely showers and the closest thing to a person complaining about it is Dad when he tells Klaus to shower before a solo mission.

What do they have? They bicker about stupid stuff all the time, just like they used to with him. They- who needs that! He has Dad, and his room, and his paintings, and his powers. No, no Klaus is the happy one.

But what would Klaus do if for whatever reason they did miraculously start to love him? A year ago, he would have been so touched. A year ago, he would have fallen straight into their trap and talked and talked and talked about everything he was going through until his mouth was sore and he was about to pass out from dehydration, and he would have hoped for the best too. A year ago, he would've thought that made up for everything. A year ago, he was an idiot.

They didn't deserve a second chance! Did they? No. They never gave him a second chance, even when they were all too willing to lay down their weapons and give each other second chances. No, it was the goddamn junkie who wasn't worthy of their newfound family love. He did what they wanted. He got out of the way, he distracted Dad, he got clean and had control of his powers, and even after almost two years, they still couldn't find it in themselves to feel a little guilty for how they've treated him.

That's all he could ever dream to get from them really. Guilt. Maybe. They'd never truly feel sympathetic towards rowdy, pathetic Klaus. They aren't capable of caring about him. They can't be, not after so long. (They can't be). _They can't be_. It was the only logical explanation. No, he was just their stupid little obligation that they happily managed to get out of their way. Forever! Just like they were kids, just like when Ben was dead, just like always.

He deserves better. No, he doesn't. Klaus isn't sure, but he sure as hell knows where they stand on the issue. Maybe he's just an object they have the right to just forget about and pick up whenever they stop being bored of him. And maybe that's all he deserves to be. But they always called him selfish, and maybe he doesn't want to fall into whatever they're trying to do when he knows he's disposable to them. Fuck them.

Fuck them all.

Maybe they've been planning an apology surprise party though!

They aren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Klaus.... will get better at some point. A lot better. And then boom.
> 
> I wanted to get this out after I finished Useful, but that might literally take months, and this is just the fanfic of my heart, so....


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We finally meet Mary, Klaus has a breakdown and it's not his first, and no one fully knows exactly what is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Dark humor, and suicidal behavior. Sometimes at the same time. You have been warned.
> 
> Also, the Handler and Cha Cha are alive in this, though I guess you can imagine someone else for the Handler if you want.

How was it even possible for a time traveler to be late? It doesn't sound plausible, but of course, Mary Campbell manages to do just that.

"We're going after those freak shows and you're putting me on babysitting duty?" Cha Cha complains, quite rudely.

"Well.... I would say it's more like she's on babysitting duty." The Handler tuts. "You see, Miss Campbell is not on probation for failing to kill Five before he ruined the timeline. Which you are."

"Well the damn apocalypse still happened!" Cha Cha snaps.

"And now it's happening off-schedule, off-perpetrator." She replies calmly. "Now that won't do."

The door clicks open and they both look up. A brown haired girl with wide eyes enters in. Her skirt and blouse are both black, making her look almost depressing to look at. "Sorry I'm late. I was.... that's not important."

"You were playing with your ouija board, weren't you?" The Handler says knowingly.

"...... No."

Cha Cha looks at the Handler suspiciously. "At least say she's not on this mission based on her favorite toys."

"Don't be naive!" The Handler hisses, annoyed. "Miss Campbell is one of our brightest. And this predicament is much more fragile than the one in 2019. You see, everything becomes much more irrelevant as towards the end-all, be-all. But now it is essential we move Mr. Hargreeves back towards his true path, and that no one dies on this mission. Understand?"

She beams at the praise and looks down at the files. "Klaus Hargreeves." Mary repeats slowly, as though testing the name out on her tongue. Something in her stomach tingles. "What's his damage?" She shakes it off, instead focusing on the fact that this dude is trying to kill everyone.

"Well, he's supposed to be buying an array of poison and toxins for himself in the back of an alley."

"You mean drugs?" Cha Cha deadpans.

"Drugs." The Handler rolls her eyes. "Instead I find out that he is now sober, and has somehow unlocked the ability to start own apocal...." She drifts off, staring at the corner. Confused, Cha Cha follows her line of sight. "What are you doing?"

"I swear I'm paying attention!" Mary assures her. She lays on the couch of the Handler's office, her legs and posture straight. Her arms are crossed, like in a cartoon. "He did drugs, now he ends the world, don't kill him." She looks up at them for approval.

They nod and she seems satisfied. She goes back to staring at the ceiling. "Does this couch make me look dead?"

"...... I'm not answering that question, Mary."

"Come over here." Mary pouts but obeys. The Handler sighs over-dramatically. "Whatever it is, it's obviously Number Five's doing. Smug bastard managed to pull one over on us, and he can't even do that right. I don't know what he thinks will happen. So long as the Commission stands, we will not let him destroy the timeline as we know it."

Mary flips through one of the files. "So he has superpowers?"

"That's one of the biggest issues." She says. "We don't have a clear perspective on his powers. At most, he tapped into the second base of his abilities at the end of the...." She trails off, her eyes snapping to Mary, and she smiles brightly. "-but that's hardly enough to cause a complete apocalypse. And we don't have any data of extraterrestrial timelines, so all we know is that this Hargreeves is ready and able to end the world at any given time."

Mary takes one of the other files, the file with big red letters across it which immediately grabs her attention. Just as quickly though, the Handler digs her nails into the paper, taking it away from her.

"Oh no! Not this one. I'm afraid you're not clarified for this file."

"What?" Mary crosses her arms. "How are we supposed to deal with him if there's stuff we don't know, but could know!"

The Handler, clamps a hand onto hers, first giving her a warning look, but then letting it melt into a warm smile. "You will know everything you need to know to manipulate Klaus Hargreeves. Our technology has advanced since this one was considered the best of the best."

She tilts her head towards Cha Cha. Mary cracks a smile, and doesn't even care for how her new partner glares at her.

The Handler opens a desk drawer and takes out a box. "In here are two high tech bugs. Mary will walk past the alleyway of the Hargreeves mansion and drop of them next to the house. It will find its way to their security cameras. Drop the other next to one of those dingy motel televisions, and you'll have a one way view on everything you'll need to know."

She waits for them to nod, and smiles when she gets her wish. "Perfect! Now move along, mission gear won't pack themselves."

Mary leaves right away, bouncing on her feet to get to her first assignment. But Cha Cha stays behind, narrowing her eyes at the Handler.

"Why her?"

She huffs, tired of Cha Cha's blatant demands that she is in no right to give. "Because sometimes missions don't go how we want them to." The Handler grits out through smiling teeth. "Now if you don't like the mission, get out before I give you another years worth of probation."

Cha Cha's eyes are dangerous, as they often are, but after her fall from grace, the Handler isn't exactly worried. "And remember, no killing!"

As she disappears, the Handler sits back in her chair, swinging her feet on her desk. Her assistant supplies her a glass of wine instantly.

She expects the intern to leave obediently, but senses the girl linger hesitantly. The Handler taps the bottom of her glass "You don't think they'd benefit from knowing?"

"Well, Cha Cha's still on a need-to-know basis, especially after that clusterfuck of epic proportions that was her role in the real apocalypse. Why do you think we're placing all those squads to look after them? She's not as reliable as we once thought."

"And the girl?"

"Loyal, no doubt, but still young, still selfish. Hasn't shown me any reason to believe that knowing about the actual apocalypse wouldn't make her jump ship."

".... And the other thing?" The Handler pauses. 'The other thing,' is top secret. Only the higher-ups knew. Then again, she has been known to forget that her interns were really people.... she likely had quite a few bring coffee down to Mary's floor or to a meeting discussing the girl.

"As the world nears its end these things become.... more appealing, I suppose. If she knew the truth.... she's smart but not one to overcome her temptations. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. And this tree has always been one to disappoint." The Handler takes a sip of wine. 

XXX

Objects of eight different uses and sizes are scattered around him as he closes his eyes and takes his attention away from anything except those eight objects. He feels them rise above the bed around him. Taking a deep breath, they begin to circle around him, slowly at first, but he quickly picks up pace.

Klaus is getting really bored of Dad's night warmups for him.

Dad told him to do it twice a day, once after breakfast, and once after lunch. Klaus admits they weren't pointless in the beginning, but now Klaus can do so much more.

His siblings didn't really care about his newfound abilities once Ben was alive, and at the time everyone thought he could just make them sentient, so how would he even find another, non super-powered willing participant that would ever make him useful?

Turns out, Klaus has some sort of control over the dead people. He can make them fuck off unless he needs them, and make them do what he wants when necessary. If he's honest, he knows that it's unhealthy how much the power he carries over the ghosts exhilarates him. After a lifetime of being tormented by the dead, after ruining himself and his relationship with his family because of the dead, to be the one with the power over the relationship was indescribably cathartic.

He knew now that he's actually scary powerful. According to Dad, the most powerful of his family. Klaus realizes that he's probably excluding Vanya in that statement, but whatever. Not like she ever uses them outside of training anyways.

He's so glad his powers aren't like Vanya's. While her powers flared up and exploded out of her when she felt too strongly about something and couldn't control herself, Klaus's powers were more cold and calculated. He had to work on hands and knees to get to the point where he can have telekinesis or levitation. And now that he has those things, he still needs to put the effort into using them. He's never had to do that before, his basic power set just coming forth ingrained in his sight.

With his powers, Klaus has to think about what he wants to be done, and then put the effort into doing that thing. Emotions actually hinder that process. He needs calm. He needs to breathe. That was probably why he never managed to get these powers in the first timeline. The drugs made all calmness seemingly impossible. But now, as a soldier who spends his days either training, on a mission, or locked in his room with no one but a cold man looking over his shoulder for company.

It wasn't impossible to use his powers while emotional, at least after enough practice, but it was probably easier to focus his attention for the time being.

His father told him to eliminate all emotion from his actions, and save all his mental energy for his powers. Easier than Klaus would have thought, but then again everything he would have found some kind of magic in once upon a Time was dull and meaningless. He went from Ariel the Mermaid to Bella Swan in two years, and he can't even laugh at his own zinger.

Oh shit. Not again.

Klaus feels the items dip lower as he opens his eyes and scurries off the bed.

He braces himself with his hands on his legs as he slumps over, breathing heavily. "You're fine. You're fine. This is what strength is. This is what power is. This is power. You are power. And you are happy. You're happy like this. You're happy like this."

He runs out of his room and straight to the bathroom. As always, a bath manages to calm him down. In this world, everything is calm and alright. Everything. Calm. Alright. Everything.

When he leaves, he's wearing a robe, and he runs into Ben. And maybe it's the bath talking, but he takes a chance.

"Hi." Klaus murmurs, wondering if Ben will see him.

To his shock, Ben does. He smiles shyly at him as if no time has passed whatsoever and starts talking.

"Hey dude! Where have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in awhile."

"Oh! Yeah. Yeah.... well with training and-" He starts. "And you with Vanya and the others...."

Klaus is not jealous of Ben. He never was. Just because everyone loves Ben, and everyone wants Ben, and Ben just has to exist for everyone to love him, doesn't mean a damn thing to Klaus 'I literally have, like, five awesome (minus the one that made me want to do drugs) superpowers' Hargreeves. Klaus isn't jealous. That would be absurd. Ben died! Had to deal with a druggie for a decade or so. Klaus would have to be crazy to feel jealous of him. And Klaus is not crazy.

"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask you about that. I mean, don't you think you're spending too much time away from us?"

Besides, Ben deserves their family's love. Like Vanya's book said, Ben is simply the best of them. Klaus could never be Ben. Could never have his family just be so fucking happy that he's just there. Klaus isn't good enough for that. Ben is. After all, only a saint would put up with Klaus for so long.

That is, until he came back to life, of course, naturally. What, did he think Klaus just got over withdrawals and his lover's death in a matter of a month?

Klaus stops his inner monologue. And thinks that over for a moment. Or maybe.... that was it. Maybe he actually figured Dave was some fling, and Klaus just wanted to milk his death for attention. Maybe Ben thought he was already over it.

"Well, duh." Klaus responds coolly. "But you made me. You made me train with Dad. What, do think he just lets me.... make my own schedules or something?"

He knew everything he went through in my first life. Ben saw him go through withdrawals. Ben watched him get tortured. Ben listened when he grieved Dave, and Klaus thought it was because he cared, not because he was something for Ben to deal with because he had nothing better to do.

"Yeah, for Vanya! God, I thought you got over it."

"You brought it up." Klaus shakes his head. "You're the one who said I was avoiding you."

"I never said that, but you are, I'm worried about you!" Ben says. "The others think you're on drugs again-"

"And what do you think?"

Ben sighs, like he's exhausted. "I didn't mean it like that. You know, everyone's right, you are seriously too overdramatic."

He wants Ben to shut up. He hides his hand in his robe. An umbrella flies across the hallway and hits the wall so hard it leaves a crack, but Klaus doesn't care because his favorite brother didn't notice that his face was filled with tears, but he knows better than to let it affect him. Ben jumps and runs away calling Vanya's name without a second glance to him.

He wants to hold Ben.

He wants them collapse into a hug like they did when they first came back to the past and realized Ben was alive again. He wants to just sit and talk and hang like they did as adults and just tell stupid jokes all day like nothing ever happened and they were just Ben and Klaus as always.

But they can't. Because Ben decided he didn't want all that. Because Klaus was a toy Ben could throw away like garbage when he got actual playmates. Because deep down Ben thought as low of Klaus as they all did, and Klaus just believed he didn't. But of course he did. He did, and he treated Klaus like shit until Ben decided he wanted him again. Ben hurt him. Ben hurt him.

He wants to hurt Ben.

They were both alone together for twelve years, except unlike him, it wasn't because the rest of them couldn't help Klaus, it's because they didn't care. And yet the second he had the chance, he treated Klaus just as bad. Maybe not at first, but he didn't bother to tell them to stop, that's complicity, and then Klaus was as worthless to him as he was to them. What was he to Ben? An MTV Show he can just flip on when he feels like it?

Then he realizes.

He wants to hurt Ben.

His stomach drops, and before he can say or do anything else to hurt him, he races back to his room, locks his door shut, and collapses against it, slumping onto his ass and bringing his knees to his chest, squeezing them tight and pretending it's Ben he's holding. Not this Ben. Not the Ben who doesn't notice he exists. Not Alive Ben.

Dead Ben.

Klaus does not miss Ben while he was dead. He does not. He does not.

He hears knocking from his door, but the sound doesn't process, and he does nothing until the sound fades away as it always does.

Hugging him might have been nice, though.

Fuck.

Can Klaus not even have a fucking conversation with his brother without it dissolving into tears and headaches. He can't keep living like this. He just can't.

Shakily, he floats himself off his ass and up to the desk, where he pulls out another piece of paper and begins writing. His hand shakes and he has to use his telekinesis to make his hand still.

_KDear Family,_

_By the time you read this, I will no longer be alive. I realize that this probably comes as a shock to you, but to me this feels almost natural. I've always had a unique connection to death, for obvious reasons, and recently I've only found that that connection has grown._

_I realize now that there is no longer a reason for me to remain in the world of the living. It's as though I'm already undead, and I need to cross-_

"I don't know where that sentence is going." Klaus huffs and starts erasing, before trying again.

_Despite everything that's happened between us, I still love you all, and I hope you don't feel too sad, though I know you'll all bounce back. The six of you have formed such a great team that I'll always regret never managing to be a part of. I know I still have the role of distraction, and I really hope my death hasn't interrupted Vanya's training._

"Goddamnit, I sound like a.... I don't even know." Klaus mutters to himself, blinking away tears rapidly, before finally crumpling the paper up and tossing it in his desk with all the others and grabbing another piece of paper to start a new one.

_Dear Family,_

_Hello from the other side! Zombie speaking here! I mean writing. Though I won't be a zombie by the time you read this!_

Klaus groans. This kind of note is a lot harder to write than he thought. Why is he putting so much thought into this? No one will care anyway. He should just give up and do it already. If they care enough, someone will find all these trashed notes and that should paint an accurate-enough description of what he's feeling at the moment. He should just leave them all out on his bed and-

His personal alarm goes off. His father needs him for another mission.

XXX

Mary Campbell is not obsessed. She's just.... excited. So when they get one of the Commission's futuristic bug thingies to hack into the Hargreeves' security cameras, she feels she's in the right to watch it with extreme attention to detail.

"Rookie excitement." Cha Cha mutters.

By the time all the Hargreeves have gone to sleep, Cha Cha tells Mary to call it a day's work before she leaves to go off on her own. Mary's tired and wants to go to sleep like them, but...

"Don't you sleep?" Cha Cha mutters as the kid runs to catch up with her.

"Maybe we should discuss the game plan going forward." Mary suggests in a stiff voice. Cha Cha glares at the her, essentially telling her she's unconvincing, and she huffs. A better lie then, okay. She is just fourteen. "I've never been out past midnight before."

Cha Cha scoffs but that doesn't stop Mary from following her. They really do need to further talk about this mission. Before, Mary just went on field training sessions. She learned from the Handler herself, and they would always have to take breaks to make an analysis of the mission.

The timeline says Klaus Hargreeves was destined to be a burn out, but instead he's probably the strongest out of his sibling. Clearly cutoff from his family. He had, like, one conversation with his adopted brother in the past twenty four hours, and it was horrible.

"He seems bitter." Mary says. "With his family. They don't seem very close, clearly, and-"

"This is useless." Cha Cha rolls her eyes. "We're basically watching a tv show. Until we do something to that junkie, the end of the world's still happening.

"He's not a junkie." Mary blinks. "At least not anymore. I think he deserves a little more credit than that considering he's gonna end the world."

Cha Cha just looks more annoyed.

It goes on like that for awhile. Mary tries to discuss the mission, and Cha Cha shuts her down every time. At least the food tastes really good. And because the motel bathroom is gross, she goes to the bathroom at the donut shop. She washes her hands, because she's a decent human being, when a crash comes from outside the door.

Mary runs out as fast as she can but before she can draw attention to herself, bullets start going off, bursting in her ears.

As bullets crash into the defenseless donut shop all around them, a sound Mary doesn't know how to describe rings in her ears over and over again.

"God. Damn. Number Five."

Mary crashes onto the ground. Crawling under the counter, Mary curls in on herself and closes her eyes. She hugs her knees to her chest and takes deep breaths. Concentrating on the air around her she focuses on herself.

Her hands start to feel warm.

Crash. Crash. Stop.

Shaking, Mary pulls herself up from the counter. She'll need to see him to do this. Raising a trembling hand, she looks into the eyes of the shellshocked boy, and clenches her fingers together. She looks away before she has to see the crash, but the sound is more than enough. When she lifts her head, Five has slumped over on the wall, unconscious.

Heart racing, the way it always does when she uses her powers, she looks at Cha Cha.

Oh no.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reggie is creepy-creep, but also in a weird way???

Cha Cha is a fast driver. Like really fast. Wait they walked to the donut shop, whose car was this?

They drive back to the motel and Cha Cha slams her foot on the gas pedal turning to her angrily. "You have _superpowers_!?"

Mary doesn't answer her however, and instead desperately tries to open the car door but Cha Cha flips some switch and the door won't open.

So Mary vomits on some stranger's leather car seat.

Her partner's glaring at her with fury in her eyes and gritted teeth. Like a predator, ready to attack its prey. Like her teachers, ready to push Mary's head under the bath water in a fit rage before letting her breathe again and apologizing, before telling Mary why she had to, it was her fault. Mary is bad, so she had to.

Mary's been yelled at by a lot of grown ups.

The Handler told her not to use her powers until she really needed to one-up their enemies. Mary didn't really get why, but she said it was like showing her cards to early in a game of poker. Mary's never played before, but she thinks she gets it.

Even if she didn't though, she'd probably agree. Mary never felt comfortable with her powers. Grandmother used to get so mad at her if she ever caught Mary using them. Before the Commission, Mary had no other reference for her powers, and she thought it was all witchcraft. It scared her. Still scares her, even after the Handler explained the truth about what her powers were.

Didn't take away from that exorcist incident.

She's never gotten used to them. So when Mary does have to use them, she always feels sick as a result. But then Cha Cha got into that fight, and it looked like she was losing, so what was Mary supposed to do? This isn't her fault, was it? If anything, she should be mad at Cha Cha, aka 'The Best of the Best' for losing a fight so easily.

"That depends, really." Mary says lightly, already wanting this conversation to be over with. Maybe if she lightens things up, Cha Cha will calm down. It sometimes worked on a good day. "Don't we all have superpowers deep down, on the inside?"

It's not one of Cha Cha's good days. "You were one of those freaks this entire time and just never mentioned it?" She says in a tone that tells Mary she's in deep shit now.

"They told me not to!" Mary says quickly.

"Who?" Cha Cha growls.

"The Handler." Mary admits. "She said she didn't want you using me as some crutch and get an easy out for your last mission." She sees the crazy in her partner's eyes intensify as Cha Cha seethes.

"Goddamn employers." Cha Cha mutters. "She said you belonged in the eighties!"

"Still true." Mary points out, because it was.

Cha Cha glares at her before snarling. "Being born in late 1989 doesn't mean you're from the eighties." And then pulls open the car door and gets out, stalking to their motel all angry-woman-walk-y.

"They say it's rude to assume." Mary murmurs distractedly, not really caring anymore. Cha Cha can think what she wants to think, Mary's done with her. She's mean. Except wait-

"So did you just steal someone's car?" Mary calls after her, leaving the car herself. She doesn't get a reply. Now she's done.

XXX

Klaus has his hobbies beyond painting and training. For example, he likes listening in on his siblings' family meetings that he doesn't go to. Okay this is a hobby that leaves absolutely nothing sad and pathetic underneath his skin for Klaus to address.

"I want to help." He hears Vanya say, the sound muffled through the thick wall.

"Absolutely not." He thinks hears Five say.

He can't really understand them. He wishes this damn wall wasn't so thick. He wishes he wasn't on this specific side of the wall while the rest of his family was on the other. He wishes they knew he was on the other side of the wall, listening in. He wishes they knew he wasn't in there with them. He wishes they cared enough to know, or maybe they do know and don't give a fuck. He wishes they would open that door and let him in on their family meetings with them. He wishes he was in the other side of that door, sitting with his family, hearing them clearly and perfectly, and that when he speaks, they all listen.

But that's ridiculous.

Okay, wow, he zoned out. Vanya's complaining about something, he thinks it's about her powers. She wants to go with them on a mission? Well Klaus is the last person to be up to date on his siblings' lives, but he was pretty sure she stopped romanticizing the missions awhile ago.

It's something about the Commission. Aka: The people who want the world to end. That.... fucking sucks. Those fuckers were intense if his memory serves him correctly. Really intense. Hell, the only reason they beat those guys up at that theatre was because of Klaus (it was mostly Ben). 

It takes a lot to beat the Commission. Maybe they need help. Maybe they need his powers. Maybe Klaus can show them his powers. Maybe-

His beeper goes off. 

Another day, another mission as he likes to say.

XXX

Soon enough, Mary learns about Klaus's few hobbies. Besides occasionally painting, Klaus also enjoys pressing his ear up to his brother's door while his siblings had meetings. Okay.

She's quick to find Vanya Hargreeves annoying. Maybe it's just good ole girl-on-girl hate that the Handler said society has pushed on her, but something rubs her the wrong way when Vanya whines about not being allowed on her siblings' fight against her.

"There's a tie, Allison." Vanya growls.

"You shouldn't be able to vote on things that are about yourself." Allison snaps back, before walking around her sister and arranging her makeup bag. "If I were in charge that would be the case, and you would stay home. 3 to 2."

"Good thing you're not in charge then." Vanya sighs, shaking her head. Then she freezes, seeming to realize something. "Wait, there are seven of us. Since it is a tie, let's get Klaus's vote to be the tie-breaker."

"Klaus's vote?" Allison scoffs, rolling her eyes, and Mary knows in an instant that whatever she is about to say next is really going to rub Mary the wrong way. "He'll just pick whichever side doesn't have someone who's stolen a colored pencil from him in the past week. 'Sides, he's probably too high to know what we're talking about."

Her voice cracks at the end and she starts to freakin chuckle, and it doesn't take long for Vanya to follow in suit.

Wait. What?

That little bitch. (If Grandma finds out somehow, it's worth it.)

So, their brother is slowly losing his mind, and this girl thinks he's getting high?

For the record, Mary objectively knows that what she does next isn't reasonable.... per say.

She knows getting caught would be catastrophic, but she'd manage. Her powers are strong, that much she can always count on, and the Commission did it's best to help her control them, but she doesn't know if she can take on Vanya or Klaus. That was probably why Mary made sure Cha Cha had gone out before she left and didn't tell her about it.

Catharsis. That's it. It'll be as cathartic for him as it will her. Klaus Hargreeves is obviously holding some kind of grudge against his family. It was basically a practical joke, just a little prank to maybe brighten his week. Clearly not a long term solution, but it could buy them more time.

She sprinkles the mystery powder from her Emergency Commission Case under a label with words she doesn't understand in Allison Hargreeves makeup powder. What?

Her escapade needs to be so quick it will be like it never even happened at all. Yeah. That's what she tells herself, and just when she finally thinks it's the truth as she nears the window she entered from, it all falls apart.

"You!" A man's strong, loud voice booms and Mary's heart drops from behind the pillar she hides behind, pressing her back to it and holding her breath. "Come out here! Now!"

Petrified, Mary comes up with a way reassure for herself. Maybe he wasn't talking to her. Maybe he was talking to one his children. "Mary Elizabeth Campbell."

Nope.

"How do you know my name?" She asks shakily, still standing stiff behind the pillar.

"You raise quite a good question, but this conversation might be simpler should we be face to face." He suggests.

She steps out into his line of sight hesitantly. The old man stares as though he was examining her. His eyebrows raise ever so slightly, indicating surprise, but otherwise his expression is as strict as stone. Reginald Hargreeves.

"Extraordinary." He breathes.

Mary doesn't know a lot about this man. He adopted seven children with superpowers on a whim, and according what she's seen on the tapes so far, pays the most attention to Klaus. Mary isn't sure if that's telling of Reginald's parenting or Klaus's abilities. Like all the parents on tv shows she watched growing up, he probably doesn't know a lot about his kids' lives. Also he's old and has a monocle.

"So?" She says, trying to be brave. "Most people wouldn't be so.... intrigued by an intruder."

"True." He says, never taking his scanning eyes off of her. "However, you are quite the exception. I believe you could be the only solution to an impossible problem, my girl."

"I'm your 'girl' now?" Mary asks, wrinkling her eyebrows.

"Well, I've developed quite an unlikely attachment to your.... origins." He admits matter of factly. "That hasn't happened in quite awhile."

 _Origins!?_ "What problem?" Mary cuts to the point. "And why not have one of your kids do it?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I have expectations and I have long since determined that my children would only disappoint. Perhaps it's one that only you can reach." Reginald hums. "It's strange, the effect a child has on a father."

Mary looks at him. Really looks at him. His eyes lack a certain sparkle, but his face is not without expression. Just an expression she doesn't understand. Cold, but nuanced. For some reason, she isn't sure if she believes him or not. Why does he remind her of the Handler? He's nothing and everything like the Handler.

Does he know about the impending apocalypse? Or was it something else? He knows her name, he probably knows why she's here, too. In her frozen shock, he turns and begins to walk away from her.

"You're just going to let me go?"

Reginald waves her off without turning. "I have little interest in childish lallygagging."

So Gramps leaves. She tries to get her breathing back to normal, but she freezes when Hargreeves finally does turn back to her. He stares back at her hard, as though examining her and taking a mental picture for the future. Great.

He scoffs. "You have no idea what lays ahead of you, child. But do keep up with your.... behavior. You just might be pointed in the right direction."

And with that, Reginald Hargreeves walks away.

Her heart stops beating so fast and she calms down enough to continue her path. She leaves through the front door trying to go over everything she just learned.

Did he use the word lallygagging?

XXX

Upon returning from his mission, Klaus immediately floats to his personal mission room and obediently sat in front of his father and describes his mission report in a dull, meaningless voice. His father shows little emotion, no surprise there, but Klaus has learned to read the level of unhappiness on his father's face, and as he always is with Klaus in this life, Reginald is satisfied with him.

It's nice to feel appreciated.

"Yes. All well and good then, Number Four." Father says. Klaus sees there's something else in his father at the moment. Excitement? But what has Klaus done to deserve such an emotion? Nevertheless, this is good. Father won't get bored of him like he did with Luther. "Now. I would like to indulge your time in another mission."

"Another mission?" Klaus asks in a quiet tone. "Right now?"

"Yes." Father says pompously. "A simple one honestly. You are to travel to the Star Motel on 49 Church Street. Talk to as many ghosts as you can. I need information on the manager."

Star Motel? He knows that brand. Too fancy for his time as a junkie, but he and Diego once tracked those two stupid assassins to one of those motels. From what he can remember, it didn't look that much different from the motel they tortured him in, if it wasn't the same one already.

Klaus wants to ask why he needs to ask about the manager but bites his tongue. If he really needs to know, Dad would tell him. But he doesn't, because he knows Klaus will do it for him no matter what. He doesn't need to bother wasting the breath.

Instead he gets up, and prepares himself for a second mission.

The mirror in his fitting room is dimly lit by the lights. In this lifetime, Klaus doesn't need drugs to be brave enough to show his femininity. He bought the makeup himself, he didn't steal anything. Allowance from his father. A privilege only given to the children of Reginald Hargreeves that aren't disappointments.

The thought makes Klaus feel something warm inside. He realizes now that they were not numbered in the order of Reginald's favorites, or the most powerful. Quite the opposite really. He's overheard every one of his siblings complain about needing money for movies and donuts or whatever. So instead they just risk stealing it.

Goddamn hypocrites.

Then again, it's donuts to drugs, so....

The lipstick feels elegant against his lips, so different from in adulthood, where he'd just slap as much on as he could. But it feels right. He applies it carefully, making sure not to let anything go out of place. Completely put together. Yet still not enough for the rest of the world. Boys shouldn't wear lipstick, but Klaus does and he stopped caring years ago.

Screw everyone else.

In the limousine, sitting silently next to his father, he's surprised when his father initiates a conversation.

"I bought every last one of you children with gold bars and countless jewels, and I often wonder if a price so low was worth it. Fifteen years later, and we're still one family unit, I suppose." Father says as Klaus doesn't bother to hide his eye roll. They both know it isn't true. "It's quite tiring. Having children. You have to understand that."

Klaus gives him the side eye, but Dad does not notice. "Right."

"How long can obligation truly hold a man's interest?" Father asks, and Klaus feels a pang in his chest, remembering what his father is.

"Fifteen years. That's a long ass- a long time." Klaus allows an edge seep into his voice.

"Yes it is." He says and turns away from Klaus. There's something about how Dad said it. Is it possible it was more than just needing warriors for the apocalypse? It's something Klaus wonders often. When he's alone and knows that the only person who would care, or just notice without being told, if he lived or died was his fucking father.

"Who was that woman, Dad?" Klaus asks quietly. If his memories and his gut are right -and he doesn't put much faith in either-that's the key.

"Be more specific Number Four." Father demands without raising his voice.

"I was young. Very young, and she would follow you around. Abigail. She was warm. And kind. Like Mom, but she didn't like the way you were with us. She tried to get me to tell you things, things I don't remember, but I know you weren't happy with, and you just put more pressure on me. That was what scared me Dad. You. But then you locked me in that mausoleum and then it was the ghosts too."

"You never once asked me about her. Why." The latter statement is not a question. It's a demand.

"It was a failure." Klaus says. "You wanted something from me. And I couldn't do it. It felt like the others could do anything. Or maybe they just didn't like talking about their flaws either, but with me, there was no hiding. Even then I was considered useless, why bring more attention to all the reasons I was the worst?"

Perhaps his father couldn't take him speaking out of line for so long, but it didn't matter to Klaus, who is all too used to the sound and feeling of his father's hand striking his cheek, and the after sting left there. He's so used to it that he doesn't even react, just keeps talking.

"After awhile it was like, whatever, but then I learned that some mommies and daddies are also 'supposed' to call each other husband and wife, but ours didn't, and I wondered- but then that would mean you loved someone else and not your children. So I didn't to be a little shithead. You didn't get the satisfaction of thinking I gave a damn. But me being a little shit didn't mean anything to you. Pretty sure you didn't notice."

"So why now?"

"You're all I have left Father. I need to know if there's a person somewhere in there."

"You want to know of Abigail?" Dad says almost harshly, but not quite. "It's been many decades, and the horrible truth is that I would rather avenge her than be the man she wants me to be. And not even seven children will keep me from that mission."

Klaus doesn't flinch at the tone, doesn't let himself flinch. "You had seven children. Was there ever a second, just one second where you ever considered just.... letting us be kids? Being a dad? Letting us do everything families do on TV? Ever?"

When Ben died. When Five left. When Luther had his accident. When they were babies. When they all grew up and hated him. Ever.

Of course his father never experienced most of those horrible incidents yet, but still.

"No. Not for a single moment." He answers shortly, but there's a strain in his voice, as though angry, and trying not to show it. "Does that make you feel better or worse?"

"I don't feel a damn thing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck Reginald, but also, like, I have to imagine that he has to be pretty endearing/charismatic to get both Luther and Pogo so so brainwashed, right?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Mary meet!!!!

"You know my first partner couldn't keep a secret for shit."

Mary looks up at the comment, surprised. It was the most her partner in crime has said to her since they stole that car together.

"I don't even know why you're here." Cha Cha walks towards her intimidatingly and lowers herself to meet Mary's eyes with a threatening glare. "But I'm thinking you wanna tell me before I do something I can't undo."

Well that's not really fair, Cha Cha kept shutting down Mary's attempted bonding sessions, so they never exactly had a chance to swap sob stories. But her wish is Mary's command then.

"Uuuhhh.... okay." Mary shrugs. "Do you wanna know everything?"

"I think you wanna tell me everything." Cha Cha takes out her switchblade and holds it to Mary's throat.

"Well," Mary whimpers, suddenly nervous just because of the knife. She has to remind herself that her powers could easily overpower her. She can be as snappy as she want. "On the first day, God created light. On the second created...."

She forgot what comes next.

"Okay stop! Wow. I was not expecting you to start there. Because why would you." Cha Cha says, kind of disoriented. "But that doesn't mean anything. What I was trying to say is;"

She takes the remote and presses play. A recording of her breaking into the Hargreeves mansion and poisoning Number Four's sister plays on the TV. 

"That's not saying anything." Mary points out, deflecting the fact that she's screwed. 

The sound of her partner's hand hitting her face rings in her ear, leaving a stinging feeling on her left cheek. It's expected, but that doesn't make her feel better. A teapot explodes as Mary runs out the door. 

Cha Cha's so stupid. She's going to hell because she's stupid. Mary was helping! Why can't she see that? Why does no one ever see that?

She's so upset at the moment that she doesn't notice that someone else is rounding the corner until they're bumping into each other and-

Klaus Hargreeves?

What?

Mary sees how his eyes linger on her cheek, which is still burning. She can only assume that there's a mark. She gasps and immediately rushes to cover it with her hand. His eyes only narrow. ".... Sorry."

"Sorry."

Klaus swallows and composes himself. He gestures to her undoubtedly bruised face. "You, uh, you okay there?"

Mary shakes herself to snap out of it. "Oh! Uh, I.... ran into a door. Clumsy me." She looks down.

"Right." Klaus says slowly. "What are you doing at a motel?"

"I-I'm staying here." Mary avoids his eyes.

".... Are you a runaway?" Klaus asks.

"Oh! No, my, um, godmother, and I live here." Mary laughs tightly. That's a good enough analogy for Cha Cha. "Uh....."

Klaus looks at her strangely, and a bit sadly.

Mary had never been good at talking to other kids her age. Her entire life, no matter where or when, she was always the weird girl.

As a child, her cousins would always call her a witch for her powers and at the time she thought no name could be worse until she was taken in by the Commission and all the adults there called her 'it' or 'the weapon' like she was some kind of object. Mary hated it.

Then she learned about all the names for Jews and black people, so she stopped complaining.

He's leaving. Maybe that's good? He'll have time to stop thinking of her as weird. But he might never show up here again and if Mary ever needs to work face-to-face with him again he'll think she's a stalker, which she is, and want nothing to do with her, so she's stuck. Klaus needs to stay here. He needs to- Mary has to-

Mary picks up a broken piece of concrete from the parking lot and throws it through the motel window.

XXX

"It's a break-in Dad." Klaus complains as Mary eavesdrops from the bushes. "Can we just leave it to the police?"

"The police force is incompetent, I thought you knew better?" Reginald says in a bored tone, as if his protests was simple childish behavior.

"Then call the others." He says in an extremely whiny tone.

"But you are already here. What would be the point of wasting their time?" Okay, this man is definitely up to something, and Mary isn't sure what, but it's kinda helping her cause at the moment, so she can't complain. "Unless, of course, you don't think you can handle this simple mission, Number Four? In which case I'd be more than happy to request assistance from your brothers and sister."

"No!" Klaus says, almost desperately, and from what Mary's seen of them so far, she can't blame him. To be so alone like that, and then have to ask for help from the same people who were responsible for all that loneliness is horrifying.

Klaus obeys, no matter how much he doesn't want to, to Mary's relief. She sees him roll his eyes when he's turned away from his father. She follows him.

He approaches the crime scene with boredom and disinterest. Mary watches from afar, coming up with her attack strategy. Okay, so maybe she could.... invite him to watch sports with her. What else do boys like?

She walks closer to him, hoping to find her voice.

But then he stops in his tracks and Mary stops with him, and he turns around. And he's gonna know Mary's following him. Thinking quick, Mary drops to her knees, closes her eyes, and puts her hands up in a praying position.

"What are you doing?" Klaus asks from behind her and despite hoping he was watching her, Mary jumps, having not expected him to say anything. A silent observer. At her old church, it was against the rules to interrupt a prayer, and her grandmother certainly agreed with that rule. Who knows how many times Mary avoided a punishment by a spontaneous prayer session before she was adopted into the Commission. And in weird way sometimes after? A few Commission agents were oddly okay with it.

Mary stumbles over her words, but finds them, lying easily. "Oh. Uh- it's sunrise. This was usually when my grandma and I would pray."

Klaus nods and looks like he's about to turn away, so Mary stops him. "Um- Do you ever- uh, pray." She winces at the stupid question more than anyone else.

He looks at her and scoffs, shaking his head. "No. I did try it once, though. I was four, and saw one of my dead nannies doing it. Dad caught me and told me not to waste time on it, so-"

"Your father doesn't believe in God?" Mary asks, partially to keep his attention.

"I never asked."

"But what about you?"

"Me?" Klaus looks thoughtful for a moment, but snaps out of it just as quickly. "Oh, God's real. She just isn't very fond of most people."

Her eyes widen at this notion. Once upon a time, if Mary ever said anything like that so openly, it would be a one way ticket to a night in the broom closet. She thought she was over it.

"You know there's a donut place a few blocks away." Mary says, remembering listening to the other Hargreeves chit chat about how they were gonna go out for donuts together, and just leaving Klaus. It's been a crime scene after her fight with Number Five, but the lady who runs it is apparently really stubborn. Plus, if Five was there, that's probably the place Klaus's siblings were going without him. He deserves to go there too. "Do you wanna go?"

Klaus looks surprised, his jaw dropping slightly. Mary feels her heart hurt inside, realizing he probably never expected to be asked out for a fun time ever again. His siblings were clearly more than happy with leaving him behind.

"I-uh, my dad will want to know-" He cuts himself off, turning his head to the side, in the direction of an empty parking space where a limo used to be. "Motherfucker." Mary blushes at the language being used to describe a parent.

They're all motherfuckers. She outwardly giggles at the thought.

Klaus snaps his attention back to her, and she unconsciously straightens her back. Bad habits. But instead he smiles at her. "You know what? What the hell."

XXX

Klaus hasn't been to Griddy's since he was a kid. He knows his brothers and sisters have. They go there when Vanya's training has been especially tiring, at least that was why at first, and they go there at night, since they already convinced Pogo to keep it quiet with all the video tape crap in the timeline before they went back in time. He still thinks about the unfortunate implications of them taking over their child bodies from their child selves' perspectives. 

Klaus always knew that he didn't go as well because he was too busy with their father. He used to moan about it to Ben, who'd just roll his eyes. It seemed so simple and straightforward at the time. He didn't see the red flags. Or at least he didn't want to.

Even then, the concept of getting donuts caused a whole lot of jealousy he really didn't want to be there. So when this new girl asks him to go to that place, Klaus wants to say yes. He hopes she doesn't think this a date, cause she's probably not a whole lot younger than his body, but his mind is still around thirty years old, even if he did spend most of his adult years as high as the sun if it had wings, it's gross and wrong.

Still, she's Shirley Temple kind of cute, and Klaus already wants to give her ice cream and tie her shoes. He finds it hard to say no to her. They sit at a booth by a window, and Mary seems to be bouncing on her feet. She's excited, and Klaus feels his heart break for her.

Klaus recognizes her enthusiasm. Her optimism for life and the world and her future. He's seen it in himself and he's seen it in his siblings. But the world is a dark place, and optimistic little kids can get hurt. Badly. The fact that she lives in a motel doesn't sit well with Klaus, because no one with a safe and pretty life 'lives' in a motel.

There are so many red flags that come with that little fact. Klaus knows that motels like that are where Commission agents go to torture people. The words he barely heard from his brother earlier play again in his ear. The Commission is back around and he met this kid at a Commission motel. A kid who insisted he take her to a place where his siblings tend to meet at. The thought helps him keep his guard up, despite still saying yes, but as she talks more and more.... the thought gets farther and farther away from his mind.

The world is filled with people willing to hurt little girls. Or boys. Klaus should know that better than anyone. At a mansion or a motel, this girl will always be in danger and there's nothing he can do to stop it. The thought of her being the person who hurts other people seems ridiculous.

Her clothes are made up of an ankle long skirt, worn out mary jane shoes, what's probably knee high socks, a gray turtleneck, and an overcoat. On one hand, Klaus is relieved that her clothing leaves so much unseen. On the other, Klaus doubts this little girl has much choice over her plain wardrobe. Not that he can talk, he thinks, looking down at his own blazer and shorts.

Oh well, she's probably safer this way.

Mary rambles a lot, and Klaus lets her, even smiling a little. He used to have a giant problem with rambling, which has been solved since he only has his ghost minions to talk to now. It's nice. Talking to humans again.

Does Dad count as human?

"So, my grandma tried to call Carrie a 'devil's movie', and I was really young, but by that point I was just done with her, so I stole a tape from the store and had my fun with it." 

Klaus laughs, because this girl can't be older than fourteen. "How old were you?"

"Eight." Mary replies as Klaus wonders how the hell this kid ended up where she did. Klaus may not be the best reference for normal everyday teenagers, but in Klaus's limited experience, they are not this kind to strangers.

This is so bizarre. Here Klaus expected nothing from her, and he means literally nothing. Not even the worst like with his brothers and sisters, just.... indifference. She doesn't need to do this.

(The memories of being tortured in that motel room flashes in his mind as fear flares up in chest but then dies but he ignores it.)

Or maybe she does. Maybe she's somehow just as lonely as Klaus is, and the thought makes him ache inside.

Klaus isn't sure he believes her when she says she's not a runaway. When he was a seventeen year old runaway, he used to live in a motel before he stopped giving a shit and stayed on the streets. But that bruise on her face.... she's been abused, recently. The thought makes his chest bubble up with anger, an emotion he's felt often but usually towards himself.

Because everyone else is happy.

The waitress places their plates on their booth, her kind eyes shifting between the two of them a bit concerned. Klaus wonders how it must look to her. Two kids out there in the city with no adult supervision. This was a cute restaurant, but in a bad part of town. Hell, not even a week ago, this place was a crime scene. Klaus didn't even bother learning why.

Whatever happened, he just hopes it doesn't happen again while they're around.

Then again, he is a badass, he could keep her safe.

(She's been here before. This place got fucked. Five says the Commission was here. He should ask if she knows what it was. Does he want the answer?)

She's a kid, Klaus thinks. A kid who doesn't know how the world works. Who doesn't know heartbreak. She's been through shit. That much Klaus can't deny. But she doesn't know true heartbreak. To be loved, and then have that love ripped away from her, and then wonder if it was ever even there in the first place.

Still, Klaus hopes that this girl can experience the sensation of loving someone so much that when she just wants the world to burn, she closes her eyes, and the darkness is just overtaken by warmth, for just a second. Though a second can never last forever.

He pays for her meal.

XXX

 _'Please don't think this is weird, please don't think this is weird, please don't think this is weird.'_ Mary mentally begs as she knocks on the window the following day. 

She looks inside the room and sees Klaus look up from where he was writing at his desk to look in her direction. His eyebrows raise and he looks surprised. Mary waves. Klaus takes the paper he was working on and locks it in a desk drawer next to him before standing and walking over to her. Klaus opens the glass with a perplexed look on his face. Mary tries to smile breezily as though this is totally normal, and not even a little strange.

"Mary Campbell? What are you doing here?" Klaus asks and Mary smiles. (Seriously though, this isn't weird.)

Full disclosure, it kind of is, but Klaus's life is already weird. And honestly, so is Mary's. So whatever.

"I knew you were one of the Umbrella Kids!" She says cheerfully, trying to sound proud of herself.

Lying has always been a strong suit of Mary's, always quick to make sure the blame found its way far from her. Her success rate is high, so she always felt confident, but getting caught always feels like someone beat up her heart with a sock full of rusty nails, and Mary can't even think about the punishments she would get for being untrustworthy to them. But despite that, the Commission made sure to give her the lessons she needs in order to survive out there in the time assassin world, so Mary hoped it would be alright this time.

"So.... I'm really, really new to this side of town." Not even a lie, more like an oversimplification (She likes calendars) considering she's never even been to the other side of New York. "And my godmother wants me to experience the Big Apple for myself, so I really, really, really would love a new friend, and you're super nice to me! We could have donuts again. Or not donuts. Sugar makes you fat, and _you're_ a superhero! Ignore me."

The sides of Klaus's mouth jerk up a little bit and he offers his hand out to her. She takes it, relieved.

"How'd you know which room is mine?" Klaus asks, a bit suspiciously. Mary feels panic build up but refuses to show it.

"Your window's right outside the stair thingy." Mary shrugs it off, distractedly pointing to the window behind her without turning. "Dumb luck, I guess. Must be really easy to sneak out. I always had to creep down the stairs, it was terrifying."

"Yeah." Klaus nods, and Mary can tell that he's not all there. "It was." Was that regret she hears in his voice? "It's called a fire escape by the way. Must have been fitting seeing as I have caused.... a lot of fires in my day."

Mary snorts, not even to stroke his confidence.

"But you can't be here." His tone shifts as he snaps out of it. "My father cares a lot more about my compliance than he used to. If he sees you-"

"Isn't this the same father who raced away in a limo the second his son was distracted earlier today?"

Klaus looks like he's considering that. "True. But training's a bitch in the morning, plus I'm sometimes called in for missions at weird times."

"And you've never gotten in trouble since you were a kid?" Mary rolls her eyes, drawing on the knowledge that in another timeline, Klaus would be doing drugs. "Come on, just until your father calls you. Live a little."

He looks hesitant, but doesn't say anything as he walks over to his desk and puts whatever he was working away with a lock and everything.

Besides, something tells Mary that Reginald Hargreeves won't be bothering them.

That man knows what Mary is, or at least knows she's not some random kid who happened to stumble upon his child. He knows Mary has ulterior motives and bosses, and he's letting her do her thing with his son anyways. No, Reginald Hargreeves is actively helping her lie her way into his son's good side _so she can manipulate him_. And what Mary does not know is why.

Maybe he knows. Maybe he knows that Klaus is going to end the world and is just letting her stop it. Maybe he knows everything.

Wait. This dude is trying to get her to do his parenting for him.

Well that's just annoying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel this should go without saying, but it probably doesn't, DO NOT SHIP THEM, that is pedophilia.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one ever said mood swings were easy. Both of them are in really dark places, okay?

**Assignment: Trigger target's addiction**

"To drugs?" Mary asks unsurely.

"Naturally." Cha Cha rolls her eyes. "Slip something in his drink. Junkies fall back to old patterns all the time."

"But what if he's not drinking anything?"

Cha Cha looks at her annoyed. "Then suggest you have a drink together. You seem to be good friends with the freak."

"Good friend is a stretch, don't you think?" Mary points out.

"No."

"What if in this timeline the change is that he never became an addict in the first place?" She suddenly realizes. It makes sense, drugs do numb the addict's emotions, maybe he didn't care about what his siblings thought of him in the first timeline. "What do I do then?"

Cha Cha groans, looking ready to pull her hair out. 

XXX

Dad used to tell him how his siblings held him back. How much he didn't need them. At the time it felt reassuring, almost. Perhaps Klaus needed it then. Maybe he still needs it.

The box used to be hidden under his old lamp, though he stopped bothering to keep it hidden after awhile. No one came to his room anyway, and on the slim chance that someone would and saw the thing, they'd think, 'yada-yada-yada drugs,' and that would that. And on the needle in a haystack chance that someone finds it and figures out the truth, maybe then they'd want to h-

Klaus doesn't want to finish that thought.

The lighter clicks as the beautiful orange burns through the blue that always seems to surround him. His hand hovers, and while a couple years ago he would have hesitated, now Klaus doesn't even think twice before bringing it close and feeling how the flame almost burns against the skin.

It would nice, if his family sees it. If they care. Even if they yell at him for hurting himself, it would at least be yelling at him out of concern, right? Oh god, is he doing this for attention? Is everything he's ever done a cry for attention? Fuck, why can't he just stop ruining his own family.

Klaus knows he isn't perfect. That he's not a fucking saint. He's done some bad shit that he's not proud of, and that he can't take back. Then again, haven't they all? Vanya did kill everyone.... But that's not right! Klaus has done some awful, awful shit. He used to Vanya mouse-face when they were actual kids, he once broke into Diego's boiler room and stole two hundred dollars and didn't even wait to say hello, and when they were sixteen he stole Diego's car and ran over Allison. (Though she did say there were no hard feelings.)

Does that mean he's unworthy of their concern? What if they've already seen the burns, and know exactly what they are and what he's doing to himself, and nobody cares? Just Klaus being stupid, pathetic Klaus. Just more proof of how weak Klaus is.

Klaus looks down at the burn marks on his skin. It's a sign of strength, really.

The call of death is so loud. Not calls from the dead, those he can silence now, but calls from death itself. It calls his name like a friend might, and Klaus wants to follow the call. He tries to follow that call sometimes, and sometimes he doesn't but the fear that he might is a nonentity. He either wants to die, or doesn't care that he wants to die, and Klaus knows how he's supposed to feel about that, but he just doesn't.

He takes out his key, and opens his drawer, scavenging and eventually taking out a note he had attempted to write a few weeks ago. His eyes skim down it, reading what he tried so hard to write, but of course, failed. A reminder of his life, a reminder of his weakness, a reminder of his failure.

_Dear Family,_

_I realize that me doing this will mean that you'll be on your own to fend off Dad, and for that I'm sorry._

Is he though? Klaus knows he's supposed to feel sorry, and that should probably be enough. But is it? Because all he feels when he thinks of his siblings dealing with the man who tortured him is nothing. Just an emptiness in his chest that covers every emotion he has.

Even worse, when he wills himself to feel something, anything, he feels vengeful. Why shouldn't they have to deal with Dad? He has for two years! They made him so they could what? Have another precious day free of Reginald to spend together? Free of Klaus? If anything, having to split Daddy's attention five-ways is too good for them. Klaus quickly erases the last word.

_And for that I'm not sorry. As you all know, Dad is a monster, so for once in your goddamn second lives you have to deal with the bitch. So fuck you. Now you get to_

To what?

Suffer the way Klaus has suffered? Can he really say Dad is still the root of all his pain, of all this nothingness that makes him just want to leap off a cliff and let himself fall this time? Dad was the one who told him to fly while his siblings just told him to go away.

Besides, they wouldn't feel like he did. They'd still have each other. Him dying wouldn't take that away. It wouldn't do anything to them. It does not matter to anyone whether he should live or die. Nothing would change. The only thing that is different is that in one universe Klaus would be miserable alive, and in the other.... he knows what a side of death looks like, and he knows that death's not always that, but he's seen a hint.

Is that fair though? Everyone knows how their father is. If he had a sibling as pathetic as Klaus he'd throw them to lion's den.

No, no he wouldn't. Klaus would know. He would say something-

They didn't. Why would he?

And now, knowing that ending his life will bring them to their father, why should he?

A knock on the window. Klaus knows who it is, and yet he's surprised when he turns and finds that girl smiling at him from his window. He doesn't hesitate to let her in, after all it might be cold outside. The fire escape could fall from under her feet, though it never did for Klaus, even as an adult. There are many reasons Klaus can't just ignore her and move along.

She enters his bedroom and smiles, politely. Klaus meets her smile, but hopes it's not strained. He wants to tell her to go away. He wants to tell her that it's nothing personal, he's just planning on killing himself and probably shouldn't be making new friends.

Okay he doesn't wanna tell her that.

Dammit. Some random girl caught him on one of his better days, and now he's letting her in on really inconvenient times in his life. 

It's almost funny, how Mary seems so intrigued by just his bedroom when it feels like his family just wants him to shut up whenever he so much as strikes a conversation.

"You're the one who sees dead people, right?" Mary asks.

"Uh.... yeah." Says Klaus. "I would like to ask a question...."

"That's so cool!" She ignores him. "I wish I could see dead people.... What are they like? Are they all pissed? Do they know it when they die? Are they all bloody? Or do they look normal? That would be lame."

Klaus blinks in shock. As far as he knows, no one thinks his powers are cool. And that's kind of how he likes it. His powers that aren't secret _are_ lame and horrible. Not for the first time, he wonders what his life would be like if he was born with anyone else's powers. He knows that the powers his brothers and sisters had didn't exactly give them the best lives, but they were still considered powerful straight off the bat. Maybe that's why Klaus is on one side of the wall and they're on the other.

But before the darkness takes control again, the girl's excitement distracts him.

"Oh, a couch!" Mary slowly walks towards the black couch he had put in his room, laying down on it with a stiff body, crossing her arms over her chest "Does this couch make me look dead? Like corpse-dead, not ghost-dead."

She does look dead. Corpse-dead. Her dress and boots are both black, the kind of clothes you'd find at a funeral. Her skin seems like it should be kind of tannish, but she's very pale. Almost unnaturally so. As though she's unused to being out in the sun.

And he gets it, he does. The sun has always felt like fire against his skin. And the only thing he can do to stop it is find a shade. Maybe that's why he can't stop it. It's his skin, if he wants it to burn, he can do it in his own way.

He rushes over to her and takes one of her hands, forcing her to sit up. "Well.... yeah. You do. It's actually kinda cool. And a little scary."

"That's- not kidding- the sweetest thing anyone has every said to me, ever."

Klaus laughs a little, pushing down the fear that that literally was the nicest thing anyone has ever said to her. Ever.

"Oh, what have you been reading?" Mary asks cheerfully. She bounces towards a desk, where an old paper he had started studying a few months ago, and has been meaning to pick up again, lays uselessly, and- _god_ , how is Klaus supposed to keep up with her?

Her smile dips though. Klaus recognizes the paper she's holding. He had printed out the paper article from the library. _How Much Sleep Deprivation Can Kill You?_

She looks at him questioningly, and Klaus just shrugs. It was actually really helpful, but Klaus supposes it won't really matter soon enough. But she doesn't need to know that.

Mary seemingly tries to regain her cheery composure. "You know.... if you ever wanted to.... I mean, if it's still a problem, you could- I could sneak you sleeping pills-"

Klaus's eyes widen as he's quick to interrupt her. "No! No, I- I can't, I'm recently sober, pills had been my choice drug. I-I can't go back."

"Oh, okay then. I'm sorry, I didn't know sleeping pills were drugs." Mary looks down, looking so ashamed, and Klaus instantly feels bad. She didn't even know she what she was offering. It's more concerning as to how she's capable of getting him pills. He should apologize. Klaus is just about to when Mary continues. "Aren't you fifteen?"

Klaus's eyes shift, because fair. "It's been an eventful life so far."

Mary snorts, mood brightening. "Same, man."

She smiles at him. He smiles back. They're smiling at each other. No one ever smiles at him. Besides Mom who's programmed. Where did she even come from? In the back of his mind he remembers what Five said about the Commission. Why else would anyone living in a Commission motel smile at him.

Then again, her clothes are much more dreary. It's poor people wardrobe, not time assassin wardrobe. And, there are more than one reason a roughed-up kid would follow a superhero who is publicly known to be the son of a billionaire around like she's a lost puppy.

"So.... what?" Klaus asks, before a thought enters his mind and he can't stop it from escaping. "Are you hungry? Do you want to go back to that diner?" What if they aren't feeding her right back at that motel? She could be starving!

But her eyes light up, like she's delighted for some reason. "I'd love to! Let's go!"

Klaus has a headache, but he still tries to keep up. "Wait! We can't. I don't have any money. Last time that was allowance money. I asked for that money from my dad earlier this week so that I could pay for.... a magazine. I can't ask for an early pay twice in one week. We don't have anything to-"

"So steal something." Mary brushes the issue off.

Klaus gawks at her. No one ever intentionally encouraged him to

It is pretty annoying that he's technically thirty and has to count on allowances.

"I-I- maybe." He whispers, feeling almost empowered as he says it. "But just enough to pay for a meal. And to tip the waitress of course."

"You know you technically don't have to tip anyone." She points out, and Klaus mock gasps, something he hasn't done since before Ben came back to life.

"I will always tip my servers!" Klaus declares with grandiose on a whim. It seems right. Seems like a good thing to teach her about. Klaus knows pretty well how hard the working class citizen has it. But he's giggling. For some reason this one random tidbit feels like a chain being unshackled. "Including the rude ones. And if someone mentions saving up, I tip double. That probably means student loans or whatever." 

Not that he knows anything about that crap. But he knows more than a few fellow junkies who turned to drugs to escape the stress.

"That's so sweet!"

Klaus smiles back at her. Was it? I mean, it sounds like it is, but he's never actually done anything. He shouldn't be feeling proud of himself for telling himself to start doing things he hasn't already done yet because his siblings never thought he was good enough to invite out. Plus he doesn't know what they'll do with that money. On the streets a few kind souls would give him a couple of dollars, and he'd just blow it on juice or weed. What if all he'd be doing was paying for someone else's addiction? Or worse. Or for the car that gets hit by a drunk driver and severs their spine permanently. Or for knife for cutting. Or a bomb for bombing.

"Are you okay?"

"Peachy!" Klaus forces himself to smile. Smile so wide his cheeks burn. "Yeah, it's sweet but then I start thinking to myself, 'What if that server uses that money and buys a gun.'"

He sees Mary blink, but he feels so far away at the moment. ".... What?"

"What if I just gave extra money to someone who needs some extra cash, to buy a gun, and kill the self. Or someone else. Or a lot of people. What if I just gave money to a potential murderer? I know, I know, don't assume the worst, you never know what another person's life is like. But what if that person's life is wanting to buy a murder weapon, but not being able to because of student debt."

Silence rings in the moment for just a second before he manages to snap out of it, making himself giggle. "But what are the chances! Besides, tipping well, that doesn't make you an accomplice!"

Weirdly, and a little forcibly, they start laughing. He sees the kid looks nervous. Of course she does. He feels nervous. Maybe she's realizing that Klaus is just too many screws absent to be lovable. Shit, what if she's scared right now, and regretting every single decision she has made in her entire life that led her to this scenario.

Klaus gets it, he does. If he was responsible for this girl, he sure as hell wouldn't want her around someone like him. What is he even doing? He should have told this kid to hit the road as soon as she got here. Fuck. Klaus might as well give her an out when she has the chance.

"Well... anyways, you can go if you want to." Klaus offers.

"Why would I do that?" Mary says quickly. "You just promised me a free meal!"

Did he? Klaus isn't sure, but maybe she just really needs the meal, and Klaus couldn't bare to deny her that.

XXX

They manage to form a steady bond. While there are moments that Klaus freaks her out, she's fairly confident he means well. Even if the whole end of the world thing is huge, it feels like she fits the mission. And not just about her powers, it's about her. She's always had an interest in the strange and unusual. Her grandmother always hated it about her, but Mary's always been more comfortable playing with an ouija board than with a coloring book.

Klaus tells her he used to have to use one to better contact the dead people, and she begs him to bring it with them to the donut place.

This is fun. This is nice.

A song plays over the diner jukebox. An old song her mother used to sing to her. Most mothers sang nursery rhymes and lullabies to their children, hers sung sixties bops. She starts singing along

"You know The Doors?" Klaus asks in delight. She nods excitedly. "I don't know anyone who knows The Doors! Except Luther.... Anyway, I love Soul Kitchen, I- an old boyfriend and I used to dance to it...." He drifts off wistfully.

Mary eyebrows shoot to her eyes and her jaw drops a bit.

"What?" Klaus asks, genuinely confused.

"Nothing!" Mary covers it up and smiles at him. "It's just.... he.... seems like a winner

Mary knows that gay people are a thing. As a child, her pastor once had a sermon about relationships. He lumped gay people in with incest and people having sex with animals and stuff like that. At the time she thought it was just about dating because she was so young, but the animal thing really grossed her out, and that was all she focused on.

In the Commission she learned that gay people would one day go on the get the right to vote. Or maybe get married. She doesn't remember.

But she does remember her cousin, Adam. He had been older, and he never teased her. He was kind, actually. He would do her nails when no one else did. Then one day he stopped coming to church and dinners. She asked where he went and her grandmother sat her down and told her that Adam has chosen a life of sin and abomination, and that if he ever decided to make amends for his sins, he'd be welcomed back into the Campbell family.

Mary pestered her grandmother for weeks, curious to know what he had done. Finally, Grandma sat her down and explained homosexuality, in a much scarier light than the Commission did, and told her that her former cousin has run away with an alter boy, Steve.

When she was nine, she wondered if Adam's monstrosity had been like hers, and if Adam and Steve were sold to a Time Government as well.

That would be a really weird coincidence though.

"What if gay was a superpower?" She thinks out loud. Klaus chokes on his donut and starts laughing uncontrollably, his chest heaving. And for a moment, she sees a sparkle that wasn't there before, though she knows it will be gone if she lets the silence linger a moment too long. 

But for a second, she thinks she sees her old cousin Adam brought back into her life.

The bottle of pills sit in the pocket of her jacket. He goes to the bathroom to wash his hands, because he's not an animal, and his milkshake sits at their booth supervised only by her. She leaves with a full bottle of pills sitting in the pocket of her jacket.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is legit just fluff, yawl. And I'm here for it.

Klaus shouldn't be surprised when Mary comes back to his window again. And then a fourth time. And then a fifth. But he is. Every time. The first few times Klaus thought it was a fluke, and she would just go away after awhile. At this point Mary knows Klaus though. So why does she still want to be his friend?

Fangirlhood? But Klaus hasn't been on a mission with his siblings in so long, and the media and the fanbase have essentially forgotten his existence. Though, to be fair, he was never any of the fan favorites, though he liked to pretend. 

No, his powers were too creepy, and not showoff-y enough. His personality was so obviously flamboyant that his sexuality was clear. Not a lot of 2000's talkshows and daily news broadcasts were too happy to air that shit. So he was always edited out until he was just another dark haired boy to fill the super-roster.

He was no fan's favorite superhero, just like he was no Hargreeves' favorite sibling, even if he ever tried to fool himself with Ben, or even Diego on a good day. But clearly, The Seance is Mary's favorite.

Maybe the thing is that she doesn't know Klaus. At least the Klaus his siblings hate so much. That Klaus is the one he had tried so hard to bury and burn to ash with every passing day until it's as though he's not even there anymore. If that Klaus is truly gone, then Mary wouldn't know him to hate him.

And yet- he sure as hell feels like that Klaus when Mary comes in through his window again in a pair of jammies with a board game and a stuffed unicorn she says is named Rebecca Danger.

"My godmother is on a bender and I can't stand the fumes. So.... ready for a slumber party!" She smiles and holds up her board game like something special. Klaus laughs and takes it from her, setting it on his bed. "We are about to have a sleepover... _so legendary_... they will make school children read about it. So what if your sisters won't let you in on their Girl's Nights? Or if my cousins would never let me in on their reindeer games? They're gonna be sorry they missed this."

"I don't think slumber parties are supposed to be a competition, but okay."

He teaches Mary how to apply makeup. Klaus shows her an array of options to choose from and insists she picks three of the colors she likes best. Those colors just happen to be two different shades of black and a purple.

"Absolutely not." Klaus protests. "No! Honey, you do not want to make that face look like a vampire. Trust me, this thing -" Klaus twirls his finger around her face "-is your greatest secret weapon."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." Mary rolls her eyes. Klaus doesn't know why that pisses him off so much. He grabs more feminine colors and unclips lipstick that's a shade of pink. Like a princess. Mary groans. "Why did you say I had a choice if you were just gonna pick for me!?" She whines.

Mary pouts and gives him some Grade-A puppy dog eyes, which Klaus pretty much invented, and yet Klaus feels the undeniable need to give her what she wants. Why does he even want her all girly? All that goth shit will make her unappealing to jerkass teenage boys because they're all shallow misogynistic trash goons. Every last one of them.

It's probably strange that Klaus cares so much about if this girl's wearing pink or black, but he does.

When he was her age it was though the whole world was gray or dark, and then his sister gave him her makeup and their were these spots of pink and it was beautiful. He liked the beautiful. But he didn't know how to be beautiful, so he stopped trying. And then he grew up and nothing was gray anymore, ever. It was colorful, but not beautiful. And all the colors were in neon lights, bright neon lights, so bright it was blinding and he almost had to look away. But when he looked away from the blinding light all that was left was darkness and no matter how much the brightness of the lights hurt, he'd rather go blind in those colors than be blind in the darkness.

But then he grew up some more. And while it isn't beautiful, it isn't dark and it isn't blinding. It's gray. Not gray with flickers of beautiful. Cold, hard gray with flickers of red.

He misses the beautiful. The pink and the beautiful.

But that's not what she wants, is it?

If this is what's beautiful to her, than it's what's beautiful to her.

Klaus sighs really loudly but drops the fuscia and picks up -he sighs again- obsidian. The things he allows out the goodness of his heart.

At least Mary seems happy, though the look is ruined by the fact that she is now a fucking goth.

Still, happy is happy. It's so strange to Klaus that Mary gets so happy from just having fun doing makeup. He used to beg Allison to play dress up or do his nails with him when they were children, and she would get so annoyed but she'd sometimes give in, if she felt like it. He suspects she Rumored him away more than once, but he always had so much fun when she didn't. He thinks she did too, maybe.

Maybe that's why it's so weird to him that Mary is so insistent that they do stuff like this.

He wonders why she's not complaining about the heat. His entire life he's kept his room at what he has to admit are ridiculously high temperatures to make up for always being cold with all the ghosts tormenting him. His siblings hated it and refused to even step foot in his bedroom.

In Vanya's book, she wrote about how she hated touching him, how it always felt that the dead followed him where he went, and that something about him was always so unsettling, and as a result Klaus doesn't deserve love.

Wait that last part wasn't what the book said. Where did that even come from?

As a child he used to wear these heavy sweaters under his blazer, even in the summer. On the bright side though, Klaus looked a lot less skinny than he actually was.

It went away as he grew into his addictions. They never grew warm, but they stopped mattering. As all his senses became numb and far away, the cold no longer mattered, and he started showing off his naked body to the world.

That sounded way cooler to Klaus back then. To be fair though, he was a teenager. And a drug addict.

He wonders what would happen if someone were to touch him now. Not just his robotic mother or the man with the emotional range of a brick that a toddler got hurt playing with. But his hand brushes Mary's and she doesn't flinch away. 

This is.... easier than Klaus remembered. Funner. Light and happy.

"First lesson of self care." Klaus announces like he's about to share an important secret. She scoots forward, invested. "Every emotion you have can be beautiful. Sadness, fear, boredom.... doubt. Channel it the right way and you can fool anyone into appreciating your beauty."

Mary is quiet for the moment. Klaus is a weirdo and he let her know it. He feels the butterflies of dread build up in his tummy as she opens her mouth to respond. "That's the first lesson?"

Klaus laughs, snapping out of it. "A piece of advice my sister offered the first time we played dress up together. Though I think she was just messing with me. She used to get so mad when I would steal her make up and clothes."

Mary smiles a little. "Did you steal girl stuff a lot as a kid?"

"Oh, all the time." He smiles back. "I was good at driving my siblings insane like that. When we were kids I used to pull all these stupid, hilarious pranks on my brothers and sisters. I'd.... you know, put salt in the sugar containers, or leave plastic bug toys on their pillows. Once I even painted the soap with nail polish. " Klaus reminisces, ignoring that stupid, stupid, pang in his heart when he thinks about his past. Mary's laughing and that's what matters.

"Where are your siblings now?" Mary asks, standing up suddenly.

Klaus perks up an eyebrow. "Some of my brothers are probably training Vanya, but Luther's definitely with Allison. My other sister had a nasty allergic reaction. They've all seen her. I went there too but.... I didn't know what to say to her."

"Allergic reaction?" Mary blinks. She's silent for a moment and seems to think to herself. "Well, sucks to be her. But.... that does give us a chance to mess with the others." She smirks.

"What?" Klaus sighs. "No."

No. No, that would be. That would make them so....

"Oh, come on, please!" Mary begs. "I don't have any siblings, this is the first time I get to have super fun experiences like this! Just.... c'mon!"

She grabs his hand and drags him across the hall.

"What should we do first?"

Klaus thinks deeply, finally accepting his fate and going along with it. "Okay...." He turns and goes to the bathroom, fetching a tube of toothpaste. He takes her hand and leads her to Luther's room. "Get his shoes."

She brings them to him with a wrinkled nose. "Ugh, they smell like dead mice and armpit sweat. Your brother needs a doctor."

"Or a cleanse." Klaus replies, squirting the toothpaste into the shoes. Mary chokes on her laughter.

What follows next is a series of hilarious (at least to them) prank setups for Klaus's brothers and sister. They're talking spray painting Diego's knife collection pink, taking Five's coffee supply and hiding somewhere else, putting Allison's coins in her jewelry box and her jewelry in her piggy bank (the girl's in the infirmary, they aren't gonna go all out), letting a pack of ants out on Ben's desk.

"This is so weird!" Klaus laughs. It feels so strange, laughing. It's been so fucking long since he last heard himself laugh.

Mary is laughing too, looking so goddamn young and free as she finally made her way towards Vanya's room. At that Klaus froze, pondering. Did he really want to pull a prank on Vanya?

Vanya.... They weren't too different all things considered. They were both set off to the side. Useless and unloved. Maybe if Klaus shows them his new powers they'd start loving him like they did her. Klaus and Vanya both grew up feeling so worthless and yet had so much strength hiding underneath the surface. They were both shoved to the side by their super awesome siblings to be with their father. Both grew fucking.... bitter about it.

But they weren't the same, truth be told. Vanya would eventually earn the right to their family, which Klaus obviously didn't. And while Vanya shrank and withered under Dad's scrutiny and dismissal, Klaus grew his abilities and turned out better for it all.

Totally.

He thinks back to that one time all those years ago. Probably the last conversation he had with his sister before she made the moon go boom.

_[XXX_

It was honestly a coincidence. She was reading her book in a rehab center, probably because it was one of the last places left that would still let her read her stupid book. He wasn't even in the group she reading to. Klaus was roaming the halls when he heard her. Recognized the voice almost immediately. She almost done, and Klaus listened in on her read the concluding chapter from his place behind the door. With every passing word, an anger he didn't know was there built up and boiled over the surface.

"Any questions?" Vanya asked.

No one in the crowd raised their hands, but Klaus decided to finally let himself be known. "Yeah. I have a question. How fucking dare you!?"

He steps out into the middle of the doorframe and Vanya gaped at him like a fish. "Klaus, I- You're here."

"Yeah! I'm here." Klaus bites. "BTW, your book could use some work. FYI, it sucks and I hate it."

"Klaus-." Vanya starts, but then addresses the suddenly invested crowd. "I'm really sorry! My brother can be-"

"What? Insane? Ungrateful?"

"I mean it was pretty hard to be your sister's 24/7 playmate when you're only allowed half an hour of free time a week. Oh but you didn't mention that, did you?

"And for the record we didn't flaunt are tattoos around to brag, we were trying to keep shit away from them because it fucking hurt, but you didn't see that, because no matter how hard we cried, you just saw something you couldn't be a part of and assumed the worst."

"And you know what? It's sad that you felt lonely. I want to say sorry to you, because your childhood is sad. You wanna write an autobiography, write that, but write what really happened. Except you didn't because, Vanya, you are a Hargreeves. You wrote about how I'm awful, and Diego's awful, and Allison's awful, and the only family who wasn't awful are the only brothers who, according to you, will never see this. But so are you. You're awful."

Tears bubble up in her eyes, and compassion blooms up in Klaus's chest. He softens a little bit. "Don't worry about it sis, we all are. You're awful, and I'm awful, and Dad's awful, and Pogo's awful. You did want to be included. For some reason. Probably to have a safe place to be the worst person ever, but it's a start right?" He says almost mockingly.

"You saw something horrible from the outside, wished you were there, and decided it was your right to publish a book, judging us for every horrible moment like we weren't fucking children. So I ask you sissykins; How fucking dare you?"

He dramatically turns and stomps out of the room, meeting Ben's disappointed glare with a; "Fuck off."

_XXX]_

"No, wait, don't!" Klaus yells after her. Mary looks at him questioningly and he gestures for her to step away from the door. "Vanya.... Vanya has a history with bullying. Does not respond well. Just leave her alone. Kay?"

Mary looks confused for a moment. "Okay...." Her eyes drift off to the side for a moment and Klaus can tell she's thinking about something. She perks up a little bit. "Hey did you know there was a Freaky Friday remake!? I mean, it came out a year ago, but the first movie was a cinematic masterpiece!" Klaus looks at her oddly. "I rented it from this place with a funny acronym name." She smiles brightly at him, walking back to his room and grabbing a tape from her bag. "You have a TV room anywhere?"

Shaking off how weird she is, Klaus blinks. "Oh! I don't- I don't really go.... other places- That sounds weird! Uh, my family could wander in there at any time, so maybe we should reschedule, and watch it at your place?"

He had never been around normal kids his age when he actually was a teenager. Always either a sibling who was also raised in isolation or another dealer and/or junkie. Besides, even if he did have friends his age that was like, a trillion years ago for him. Mary's probably just an ordinary kid, which Klaus has little experience with.

"Oh, uh... you don't wanna deal with the gross motel TVs." Mary laughs off. "Your family's not gonna mind if you watch a movie one time?" She pouts innocently, too naive about how truly alone he is in this family to understand that he really can't.

"They might." Klaus says nonchalantly. "My family usually hangs out with each other after my sister's training, and with Allison in the infirmary they won't leave-"

"So they'll probably just visit her." Mary brushes his concerns off.

"But I really don't want them-"

"It's your house too, Klaus!" Mary snaps, looking frustrated. "Why shouldn't you hang around your mansion? I think at the bare minimum, they'd understand." Klaus considers her point as the frustration melts off her face leaving only horror and sheepish embarrassment. Klaus doesn't know why.

_You just saw something you couldn't be a part of and assumed the worst._

He isn't doing the same thing, is he? Would they really be pissed if he just existed somewhere that's not with Dad or in his room? And if they were, how was that fair? Klaus could hang out and go places in his own home with his new friend, if he wants to hang out and go places in his own home with his new friend. They don't have the right to stop him from hanging out and going places in his own home with his new friend.

Do they?

They certainly didn't in the first timeline, when Klaus just did whatever he wanted whenever or wherever, regardless of his siblings' opinion. And he would just be Klaus and even if everyone hated him, he was Klaus, he was there, and no one could take that away from him.

God, he missed that.

In the end it doesn't matter anyways. They get through the movie with no interruptions, except for his mother bringing them popcorn without needing to be told to do so. Grace and Mary take to one another instantly. Most woman would be put off by Mary's goth-vampire makeup she had Klaus put on her, but not Grace Hargreeves, of course.

Klaus sees the way his mother's eyes light up whenever Mary laughs or smiles or speaks to her in that faux adorability that's so clearly bullshit. Mary just looks at him with this shit-eating grin. Like she knows she has his mother wrapped around her wittle finger.

His brothers and sisters don't show up though, so his worrying was a complete waste. They don't ask about his new friend, don't try to kick them out.

Or join.

Which is great! Klaus doesn't need his stupid siblings turning this new girl against him like they probably did with Ben. Besides Mary already hates them, that meeting would be hellfire. They could be mad at him for turning a completely innocent kid against them, and Mary would start hating him and start loving his siblings instead.

Klaus- Klaus shouldn't get too invested in anything. He still thinks about it. About taking a bath, and slipping his head under the water, and never coming back up again. No one else would care. Would Mary? In this moment, he thinks she would. No- he hopes she would. Shit, this day is the most alive Klaus has felt in awhile.

He thought he was already dead inside.

Okay, Klaus needs to stop thinking about this. He's having a nice day, a wonderful day, and Klaus shouldn't let his stupid thoughts get in the way of that.

It's nice not being alone with his stupid thoughts for once.

By the time the movie is over, they both agree to watch another movie, this time being Klaus's pick; Mystic Pizza, a movie he used to watch with Allison a bunch in the first timeline before his addiction took over. By the end of the third movie, it's dark out and Mary has fallen asleep, curled up on the other side of the couch with a blanket Klaus made sure to drape over her.

Klaus yawns, tired himself. Mother takes one look at the two of them and coos. "Mom," Klaus complains, but Grace lovingly shushes him, pulling a blanket over his shoulders as well, running her fingers through his curly hair. Through lidded eyes, he sees her walk over to Mary and do the same to her hair as well before he finally slips into a content sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, why am I being so mean with the sisters so far? I mean, they don't do the worst damage, but still....


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary tries a thing, it backfires, oh well.

Mary's friends with Klaus for two weeks before she finds his notebook. That's two weeks of laughing over pop culture references Mary only pretends to understand, and sneaking him sugary junk food to make up for that nutritious glock his parents give him. Klaus formally introduces Mary to the art of Ms. Pac-Man (She curses her grandmother for selling her before she could discover it for herself.), and Mary insists Klaus learns how to play table football, which he does. After forty losses.

It's nice.

But Mary knows that he's her mission (and is gonna destroy the world), so she has to act eventually. That annoying little fact is one she hates with the passion of a really big fire on this particular night, achingly pulling herself up the Hargreeves' fire escape, banging on her friend's window, and meeting him with tears eyes. She sees the way his jaw clicks and the way his eyes seem to glare at the world, but not at her, and really, really hopes this mission has a happy ending.

"The fuck happened?" Klaus growls, angrier than she's ever seen him.

"Language." Mary whines. "I had another fight with my godmother. She.... she got too aggressive."

"Hitler and his Nazis got too aggressive!" Klaus rolls his eyes. "And now my native people are joined with the Russians in the land of corny cartoon villains!" Despite the moment, Mary laughs.

"I can go get my mom if you want." Klaus offers, and Mary considers it. Any interaction with his family is progress, right? "She likes you a lot. I can tell these kinds of things. It's like my seventh sense." He presses two fingers to his temple.

"I'd appreciate that." Mary really would. She likes Grace too. The woman is clearly the best of the Hargreeves family, no questions there, even if she was programmed for that to happen. Grace is like.... all the okay parts of the Handler that made Mary love her amplified by one-billion thousand.

He goes out to get his mom and probably medical supplies for her, and Mary decides to screw it and look for ideas to stop the impending apocalypse. She thinks she finds it when she spots a black notebook laying on Klaus's desk. A diary, mayhaps?

Turning a few pages Mary skims over the details of a lot of his training, but smirks when she finds a diary entry on one his brothers.

 _Is he mad at me?_ The entry reads. _Because it kinda feels like he's mad at me. Its so weird. Like he doesn't want me around all of a sudden, but is too polite to say anything. You know?_

_Look, whatever it is, it's so so so on me, but I mean even our family, who like worships him now that he's alive again has to at least agree, he can be really, really passive aggressive._

_So if he just explains why he's mad and then says he's kinda sorry, I'll apologize so so so much. I've been rehearsing and everything._

_But Ben goes first. I don't feel like I'm asking much, just he says sorry first, I take the brunt of it. We can go back to how we were before._

_What if he doesn't want to though?_

Wow. Someone has issues.

Okay, so if Klaus has a diary for his powers (and feelings) then logically, his brothers and sisters must too. So... if Mary switches his notebook with one of his siblings', they'll see that he's hurting. And also that his powers can probably kill everyone. And then they'll wanna help Klaus! Mary knows it won't be that easy. She certainly wouldn't be so quick to forgive her family if they put her through what they made him go through. Though she might be biased. But it would be an improvement, and they need to make improvements.

Maybe that could be enough. Maybe his siblings being super sorry, and with a hint of a new BFF, Klaus could be well on the road to recovery by the time the apocalypse comes around.

So then Klaus comes back with his mother two treats her bruises gentle hands and she smiles warmly and laughs when Klaus tells jokes. It's not perfect, but Mary doesn't think she's ever been more content than now. She can tell both Klaus and his mom disapprove when she claims she has to back 'home', if you can call it that, but if she's still around, Klaus might be able to tell that she's the one who switched it when the time comes. Mary just hopes Klaus doesn't notice his notebook is stolen.

She comes back later, sneaks in through a kitchen door, and breaks into one of his sibling's rooms (they'll be back from their weekly night retreats soon enough) to switch one of their notebooks for Klaus's. She doesn't check which one.

To make sure Klaus doesn't suspect anything tomorrow, before anything can happen, Mary makes sure to come back to the window, doing her best not make any noise through her powers, and places it on his nightstand.

XXX

That morning he doesn't even think about his notebook. By the time he's supposed to turn his notebook in for his father, he doesn't even think about it.

He wouldn't even know anything was up if he didn't try to break in to his brother's room to plant a fucking whoopee cushion and found his notebook where Five hides Vanya's notebook.

Klaus sighs.

He somehow switched his progress notebook, which is supposed to go to his father, containing all the people he's killed, with the notebook with all Vanya's progress with her powers, which is supposed to go to his siblings, containing all Vanya's progress with her powers. Which means the notebook about all the people he's killed with the notebook is with his siblings, and the notebook with all Vanya's progress with her powers is going to his father.

Taking far too many breaths than necessary, Klaus calmly walks over to a glass display case, opens it and grabs one his ancient action figures (He's pretty sure Seance products are left out of recent Umbrella merch productions, not that he cares.) and promptly walks down to his father's old civil war figurine model, making sure to grab one of Diego's stray knives along the way, places his doll in the middle of the battlefield, and cuts off his own head.

Aka; a metaphor for his future.

Okay. Okay. _Okay_. He could steal it back. He can steal it back!

Dad's not even home, he's on his way to Washington, for his yearly appeal to keep the government from disbanding the Umbrella Academy on account of it breaking basic child labor and safety laws. 

Did Dad say he was gonna grade his progress report in between meetings?

"Hey, ghost, did Dad say he was gonna grade his progress report in between meetings?"

"My name is Jeffre-"

"ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!"

"Yes! God...."

"Aw man."

Shit. Okay. Klaus just needs to find his way to Washington DC and steal it. What if Dad already reads it by the time he gets there? Maybe.... pop out of nowhere and set Vanya's book on fire. Of course, that would get him into deep shit with his father, but he never used to care about that anymore.

Okay. Okay. _Okay_. He has to go to Washington DC. He has to burn Vanya's notebook before Reginald kills her. He needs a plan. He's not good with plans. He needs help. No he doesn't. He needs help. No one's going to help him! He can already see the looks of disgust he'll get if he asks for help from them. _He can't ask for help from them!_

There is someone who can help him.

"You're sure your family won't be a little forgiving?" Mary asks as he drags her out of her motel room.

"My family will literally have me hanged for my crimes. And I don't wanna see their faces when I die!"

"Wow. Okay. Well that.... is such a horrible, misguided accident you did then. This will not do. We'll have to fix this horrible _mistake_ then."

With that Mary approaches a car with all its windows down and unlocks it.

"We're stealing a car?" Klaus asks, hesitant. "I mean, what if we get in trouble?"

"We're not stealing anything!" Mary hisses back, shoving a screwdriver in the key place. "My godmother gave me full permission to drive her stolen ca- I mean her car for the day."

"When would you even have time to ask her?"

"Just get in the other seat."

She takes a seat behind the steering wheel. Klaus winces. "Do you even know how to drive? Maybe we should-"

"I've had lessons." Mary shoots him down. "I'll be quicker than any bus, I can tell you that."

She puts the keys in and ignites the engine. Despite probably knowing better, Klaus gets in the passenger's seat. It smells really gross but Klaus doesn't think it matters at the moment. "You know, that's not as comforting as you might think."

Next comes a four hour and twenty five minute drive filled with anxiety..... and a lot of singing along to Disney albums. 

XXX

By some miracle, and the help of air fresheners, they make it three quarters of the way to DC. Mary knows how to drive, of course, the Commission was very diligent about teaching her everything she would ever possibly need on a mission. But, obviously, Mary is Mary, and things never seem to go so smoothly for her, and well.... not even the Commission can account for every possible scenario.

Like getting into an argument with the apocalypse-bringer over gas station store bought gummy worms.

"I'm just saying, they rot your teeth!"

"That's totally a myth! And besides I know how to use a stinkin' toothbrush!"

"I know, but there are other risks. Do you wanna get diabetes!? Or a cavity?"

"Do want me to get bulimia?"

"No! You're impossible!"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Don't tell me to shut up, it's disrespectful!"

"Oh my God! Would you just-"

She's cut off by the front side of the stolen car bumping up. Like they were going over a pothole times 500. Klaus and Mary look at each other frantically. She immediately hits the breaks. 

"Oh my god!" Klaus yells, chest heaving up and down. "What was that?"

"A dog?" Mary says. Maybe. That was a big thump. Or was that what a pothole times 500 felt like?

Okay, this isn't so bad. A dead dog. That's sad, but a hit and run of an animal won't require legal action.

Klaus hurriedly steps out of the car to look at the damage. "Well, I mean at least it's not a ca-OH MY GOD!!!!!"

Mary immediately jumps and races out of the door. Klaus's face is that of complete and utter horror as Mary runs to his side and takes sight of what's so horrible. Her heart instantly drops.

"Is that-?"

"Uh huh."

"That's not-"

"It is."

"It's not-!"

"It seriously is."

"Oh God."

"We're screwed."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know."

"Run for it?"

"Run from a dead body?"

"Yeah..... is he still breathing?"

A shriek comes from the left, making them both jump. "Dad! Daddy, what happened to you?!" A woman cries as she runs to the body in front of the duo. They trade helpless glances as the woman cried over her father.

Oh god. Oh god, Mary wasn't paying attention. And now an old man just got hit by a car. Quickly, she takes note of her surroundings. Maybe they could run for it. It seems like a perfect place. The sun is setting, it's in a local area, but it would not be stretch to think that no one else would be watching. They could just race away, and move on....

The woman looks up at them desperately. "Who did this?! Did you see?!"

Right! Right they were just children! At most sixteen. Even then, they both had baby faces. There was an aura that surrounds both of them that just made them seem inexplicably younger. Something that could be mistaken for innocence. It was only ever when people truly spent genuine time with them that the spell breaks and leaves nothing but disdain.

Maybe that's why they get each other when no else does.

Thankfully, Mary left in such a hurry she forgot her eyeliner, and the black jacket she's wearing isn't enough to scream goth. Now, she can do her one true calling; lying.

"Um, uh..." Mary stutters. "It was... it was a real old man. Old, old, manly man." So not like Klaus or Mary at all. "And he had straight blond hair, and.... and he was real large!"

"Right!" Klaus cuts in quickly. "So large! Remarkably so, it was unnerving! And something about him was just kind of uncomfortable, but the kind of uncomfortable where you try to push through it. And.... and his chest was really hairy! And his muscles were the size of a few small bolders...."

"What?" The woman sobs. "My father was run over by a circus freak."

Klaus's smile becomes visibly more tense. "Well, I think circus freak is a bit of an overstatement, don't you think? Not to mention a bit rude-"

"Right, a circus freak, that's why we remember him so much, isn't that right, Klaus?" Mary interrupts him, pretending he never said anything, so the woman will be more likely to disregard the boy who seems a little quick to defend the man who apparently ran over her father. 

"Oh God...." The lady starts hyperventilating. Frantically, she looks around. She stumbles to a pay phone and pulls out her purse.

Seeing their escape, Mary grabs Klaus's hand and tugs it but he doesn't budge. She looks at him questioningly, but before she can ask him what he's doing, the lady has come back.

"Okay, the ambulance is coming." She tells them. "But.... there aren't any security cameras around here. If I want the person who did this to get arrested then I'll need someone to give the police a description. So if you can just stay here-"

"Oh!" Mary says quickly. "Well that's.... Our parents worry a lot and-"

Klaus interrupts. "My sister has to go home, but I'll talk to the police, don't worry." He tells her. The lady nods gratefully and kneels next to her father.

"What are you doing!?" Mary bites, pulling him away from her. "Klaus, if we don't leave right now, we won't get there in time! We already gave her a fake description, you don't have to-"

"It's not about the police!" Klaus snaps back. He points to the distressed lady. "Look at her!"

She does look pretty pathetic, clutching onto her father the way Mary never could, murmuring quietly, fearful and looking so lost. Mary feels for her, she does, but right now she has to look after Klaus. The ambulance is coming anyways, he'll live, which is more than she's been taught to give. 

"We don't have time for this! Do you wanna get that notebook or not?"

"Mary! It's her dad!" Klaus snaps before kneeling next to the woman and resting a hand on her shoulder.

This won't do. Sure it's her mistake, but he's going to face the consequences. This will make him so messed up, and it will be all her fault because she's too stupid. And now they can fix it, but Klaus won't for the sake of some woman he never even met before.

That's..... so nice.

Okay. Okay, then. This doesn't have to be it. She'll just get the notebook herself. It is her mess after all.

If she fixes this by herself, he'll be pr- he'll trust her. More than he already does. Which she totally needs.

Okay, so they're officially in for it. Mary can now initiate the final part of her master plan, which she totally did not just make up.

XXX

The lady tries to give him twenty dollars but he refuses. He almost considers taking it, what with, him probably going to be homeless should his siblings decide not to murder him.

He can already see the looks of disgust he'll get when they find out. Of disappointment despite the bar being so low anyways.

Well, that was a bust. 

He might as well give them his stupid notebook so his brothers and sisters know he's a monster who kills people and never specifically complained about it. And also ruined everything by telling their father that Vanya knows about her powers. And then instead of leaving it to the competent, not-horrible family members, he recruited a child he met at a motel to commit a petty crime and he couldn't even fucking go through with it because he got distracted by the man his friend ran over.

 _'Well, well, well, Number Four, you're officially in for it now!'_ Klaus thinks to himself. Or maybe murmurs. It doesn't matter.

He's stupid. He's stupid. He's so fucking stupid. He's a stupid little bitch who ruins things. And ruins his family's lives, and it's his fault if the world explodes because he's so goddamn stupid, and he's a dumb and ugly slut who lies and breaks laws and does stupid things because he's stupid.

This is comeuppance. This is his comeuppance tapping him on the shoulder and punching him in the balls. Comeuppance for all the people he's killed in the name of his father. For lying and keeping his powers away from his family. For being a dirty little prostitute and doing drugs and keeping Ben from being happy. For not coming to terms with his powers until only after Ben came back to life. For asking a kid to commit a bunch of crimes. It's all coming in at once and Klaus is caught in the crossfire because he put a million fucking targets on his own back.

He misses Dave. Not the time, but he misses Dave so goddamn much. Just like he misses Dead Ben so goddamn much. He wants Dave kiss his cheek and rub his back. He wants Ben to say he's proud of him even though he just did everything to earn their hatred, more so than he usually does. He wants to feel complete. He wants to feel happy. And loved. And like he belongs with someone. Anyone.

Fuck, he probably ruined his friendship with Mary, who drove almost all the way to Washington for him, probably stole a smelly car for him, and was so so nice to him.

Him, him, him. He did nothing to deserve her, and yet she gave so much and he didn't fucking listen to her because he's so so stupid.

XXX

"See! Isn't this fun!" Allison giggles as she swipes blush across her sister's cheek. Vanya huffs and rolls her eyes.

It's pretty rare for Vanya to want to do the really girly stuff, like makeup or boys. Klaus might've been right all those years ago when he speculated she was a lesbian. She misses Klaus sometimes. He was always up for to get overly girly with her. She'd love to invite him but he's usually too busy with Dad stuff, and he's obviously still on drugs so....

Vanya needs her help.

"You know, Klaus and I used to this all the time, but I think I like this better." The sisters smile at each other as they ignore the strange pangs in both their chests that neither can explain. "He's fun but this, _this_ is deep. This is real. This has substance. Nuances."

XXX

Klaus is laying down on the concrete stairs and staring up at the sky as rain pours down on the unresponsive man, humming mindlessly. He's completely out of it.

"Klaus?" Mary asks timidly. "Are you okay?" No he's not okay. He's- he's doing that. No one who ever hums as he stares blankly at the sky while it's raining is ever okay! Why are you stupid? "Klaus?" She kicks his side- gently. "You're gonna catch a cold."

"Good." Klaus breathes, not turning to look at away from the rain, but still finally addresses her. "Maybe I'll die."

Mary freezes. "You don't mean that."

Klaus sits up.

"How's the lady's dad?" She sits next to him. He sighs and takes the soda she offers him. "She seemed really upset about him."

"He'll probably live. As far as being run over by a car goes, that's pretty okay, right?"

"I guess." She shrugs, not exactly in the mood for snappy commentary after the long day she's had. Right now, she wants to go to blissful sweet.

"Here." Mary pulls Vanya's notebook out her satchel and drops it in his lap. He jumps and stares at the object in shock. He turns to her with a gaping mouth, like a fish.

"H-how?"

_Your Dad literally just saw me and gave it to me. Seriously, man, tell me what's up with him._

"You didn't think I was gonna let you down, did you?" She smiles instead.

"Thank you, kitty." And then he's hugging her.

She made him proud of her. She made him proud of her. He's proud of her.

Mary melts in his arms.

XXX

Almost without thinking he throws his arms around the girl, and squeezes tight. Mary hugs back happily. He should let go, this should be weird. But it's nice. Like.... coming home from a war and being met with pure innocence. No, not innocence. He doesn't know what, but.... he doesn't know what. All he knows is that he doesn't push her away. The last person he ever hugged was Ben, when he returned alive. 

But it's like, really nice.

He only ever felt this content when he was with Ben or Dave. God, he misses Dave so much, but somehow he feels a little bit of that scar heal. Just a little.

It had been so long since Klaus last hugged someone. As a child he was a cuddle machine, but now it's like everything in his world is dark and cold and unwelcoming. Except Mary Campbell apparently, who is so naive, and so eager to please, and needs to be protected. With the power of shotguns. And is also the best breathing person Klaus knows.

And though he's known her for less than a month, he'd probably kill his entire family and then himself if they ever took that away from him.

She scoots closer to him, and leans on him. Taking a chance, she rests her head on his shoulder, and he doesn't push her away. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary's personal Daddy issues are fleshed out a bit, and then everyone else just messes it all up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was nice while it lasted... 
> 
> Seriously though this starts on her childhood traumas.

_Dear Dad,_

_Today teacher want us to write letters to our fathers to tell them how much we love them so hello. I dont know who you are realy. Grammy says mommy was very owlturnitve before she had me. But if I ever see you and give you this hello Im Mary! Youre daughter. Hope you like me._

_Some times grammy gets mean but tha she say sorry and my teacher and my paster told me to always forgive and forget so I do. But if you ever come to get me I hope every mean bone in grandmas body mean you have a nice one. Dont tell her I said that or shell take the spoon again._

_Ive seen mommy and I look nothing like her except for my face because of my stupid frecklies so I must get these stupid hair from you. So I love you and I miss you and I have super powers so if I ever meet you I hope you can explane that._

_Love, Mary_

XXX

"Look! Looky!" Mary waves an old homework assignment she got from the Commission a bit before moving to 2002 in her friend's face like it's something he cares about. Klaus plays along, failing to snatch it at first, but eventually grabbing it from her after a few tries.

"An A?" Klaus hums in play-approval. "Well, well, well. Who'd a thunk we had a genius around these parts, kitty? You're gonna climb the housing ladder like a firecracker!"

They laugh and giggle. Mary flops on Klaus's bed as he stands and pulls out an easel from the corner. "Okay, okay." He smiles and turns the easel around. "What do you think?"

"Like a mid-2000s Van Gogh." Mary says breezily. But she doesn't miss the way his face drops, though he does try to hide it.

"You know he killed himself, right?"

There's something there. Something Mary doesn't like. Something that makes Mary uneasy, but she really doesn't want to think about it. Maybe she should. Instead she changes the subject.

"Actually, there's a lot of evidence that suggests it was a murder. Like, he was shot in the abdomen, which is a really weird place for suicide. Plus the gun was never found, and there was no exit wound, so the revolver had to be far away. The alternative idea was that a couple boys who were really into cowboys hit him on accident and before he died, he just told people it was suicide to protect him!"

"Mary-"

"Oh! You should summon his ghost and ask him!"

"Mary-"

"That must be cool! Hanging with dead famous people."

"Mary!"

"You know, when I was a kid, I used to have a lot of imaginary friends. One of them was George Washington."

"Mary."

"It just goes to show how active my imagination was. Even at that age, I must have realized that the founding father's must have been racist and misogynistic dicks."

"Wow, you're just not listening to me. Okay."

"But it's an interesting question. I mean, it was the norm back then, I'd like to believe that if George Washington were born today, he would-"

"MARY!!!"

"Yup?"

But Klaus pulls up a chair and sits in front of her, sighing deeply. She can tell he's about to tell her something deep. Can tell he's been preparing himself for this moment.

".... Can I tell you a secret, Mary?" He's timid. Vulnerable. Mary wonders if she's about to learn some super secret that's going to save the world.

"Of course." She replies without hesitation, even if it scares her a little bit.

"Do you remember when I told you that I had reason to believe that God didn't like me very much?" Mary nods. "Well.... that's still true, but I do think someone is looking after me."

He stands and walks over to his drawer. The same drawer where he stores all those notes she's not allowed to see. She feels a rush of excitement. She's wanted to know what's hiding in that drawer forever, but Klaus always says it's too personal. She expects him to pull out a piece of paper and read it to her, but instead he takes out a chain holding two tags at the end.

"I don't know how, or why, but when I time tra-" Mary's head snaps up as she stares at Klaus in shock. Time travel? Number Five, what did you do? "Oh, uh-" He continues. "You know, it was.... superheroing. All the adventures!" Mary smiles, falsely.

Klaus returns her smile and continues. "His name was Dave. He was.... the first person I have ever admitted to loving more than myself. He was perfect. It was the first time anyone ever said they loved me." Mary frowns and Klaus brushes it off. "Oh, I know how that sounds, but it was just how we were raised, I never said it to them either. I mean, I did say it when I first saw dead Ben, and if he wasn't a fucking mess at the time, I think he'd of said it back, but then I never said it again. But then Dave said it to me, and I didn't even think. I said it back, and I was so...."

His face crumples, and he starts breathing heavily. He looks like he's holding back sobs. Mary doesn't even hesitate, taking on of his hand in hers and squeezing.

"I'm sorry about Dave." She says softly, knowing that there's no happy way for this story to end. Klaus meets her gaze with wet eyes. "Please don't cry." Mary begs, feeling herself get overwhelmed as well.

"No, it's just.... I think you're the first person to say that." Klaus's voice breaks. She feels her heart break with it.

"That... that can't possibly be true."

"Ben knew." Klaus says quietly. "He knew everything. Five at least suspected something. Diego knew I lost someone and said I was fucking lucky cause I could still see him. I don't know, maybe he has a point, but-"

"No! No, he does not have a point!" Mary immediately argues. "Who says that to someone who's grieving? And to his brother!?"

Klaus sighs. "To be fair, he just lost his girlfriend the day before, and he's always been a.... snippy one."

"That's not an excuse." Mary says, scooting closer to him. "When you love someone, you don't say things like that!" She felt her face get red as she tries so hard to make Klaus see that he deserves better than that. "And fuck Ben too."

"Mary!" Klaus scolds and she rolls her eyes.

"What? Fuck Ben." She affirms. Klaus looks at her incredulously. "Klaus, he abandoned you. He said he stuck around because he loved you, and the second he didn't have to, he left you. It makes me angry. You're my friend, I don't like how your family treats you."

"Oh, kitty." Klaus lets go of her hand and pulls her closer. Mary rests her head on his shoulder.

"I had a family too you know." She sniffles. He looks down at her 

"The first few years of my life it was just me, my mom, and my grandma. Gran did most of the disciplining, Mom just played with me. I don't think Mom was ready for me. She didn't like everything Gran did, but she never did anything. But it was nice. I was really little so.... it was nice. Mom balanced out Grandma's craziness."

"She sounds nice." Klaus says softly, smiling a little bit. He too knows that there can't be many happy endings to this story when Mary ended up where she is.

"She was." Mary sighs. "When I was.... in kindergarten I think, we got into a fight though. I don't remember what it was about or what was said- mostly. I-I do remember what I said towards the end. I-I told her I wished she would go away....." She pushes herself off of Klaus and sighs. "And she did."

Klaus throws his arms around her shoulders and pulls her back to him in an instant, and Mary quickly returns the hug. She buries her head in his shoulder and she feels.... she feels safe. She feels more safe in the arms of the man who ends the world than she has in her entire life.

And Mary- Mary really doesn't want him to die. Like really doesn't.

Oh no.

She pulls away too soon and forces her face to break into a soft grin. Trying to regain composure over herself, she pumps up the snark and suggests they start thinking about pranks to annoy the heck out of his siblings.

XXX

_Dear Absentee Sperm Donor,_

_I realize you don't know that I exist, so you've probably already thrown this out hoping this was some joke or some horribly misaddressed note to someone who is not you, but in case you don't, I'm your daughter._

_You threw it out didn't you?_

"Mary!" Klaus runs up to her from the door. She pauses her writing and raises an eyebrow. "Okay, my dad really really needs me to stop a power plant explosion or whatever, cause my siblings are off stopping another bank robbery. You can stay here if you want, I should be back in an hour."

"Okay then." Mary bites the inside of her cheek to seem nonchalant. Klaus smiles in response. "Remember, stay out of that-"

"Desk drawer, I know!"

Sighing, she resumes her writing.

_So Mr. Absentee Sperm Donor, if you are reading this, I actually might not blame you if you just throw it away. I got a lot of issues, Daddy. The fate of life as we know it rests on me becoming this one guy's best friend, which I did, so I guess I'm doing good. The Handler hasn't told me otherwise. But I don't really know how this ends._

_Oh I was adopted by a Time Travel Spy Network cause my Grandma didn't want me. That's alright, I guess. I was really young but it's like she was always staring at me all like, "Okay, are you normal yet?" But then the Commission was all, "Why is she so annoying." I was nine, so that was, you know, normal. So basically I wasn't normal enough for my grandma but too normal for my job._

_You're probably on Grandma's boat, aren't you?_

_Because Mary's not normal, Mary the witch, Mary the freak. Mary the girl who should really just sit quietly until someone needs her powers or something to point and laugh at. But when that's done she can just go back to her closet._

"Mary?" Klaus calls, interrupting her again. "Where's my spare grenade!?" Mary shakes her head, snapping herself out of the rant to scream back;

"Just a second!"

_You must be so disappointed. Everyone always is. I'm doing what they want. I got the guy who ends the world wrapped around my little finger. The Commission has a plan, which I don't have the clearance to know, but they do. I just don't know if I like their plans or not. My partner likes complaining. A lot._

_I don't know, I think I'm attached. I don't want him dead, or addicted to drugs, or whatever. I was always told that I shouldn't see my missions as people, but this is a person. And he thinks my jokes are funny, and he doesn't look at me like he's being forced to be around me._

_If I ever meet you, which I doubt will ever happen ever, will you do me a favor not look at me like that? Because all I've ever had is people looking at me like that. Mom, Grandma, Cha Cha, Commission agents, and I'm sick of it. Or maybe I'm just spoiled from the one person who doesn't. I mean, the Handler didn't either, but I don't know. I don't know how she looks at me._

_I'm scared this ends with him dead, and I don't want that to happen. I can't share this with anyone at the Commission or they'll think I'm weak and put me through another Survival Week, and I can't exactly tell Klaus about it, so the only _person I can talk to is you.__

__

_So Lord Absentee Sperm Donor, help?_

__

_Your daughter,_

__

_Mary_

__

After letting all that out, Mary burns the letter almost immediately to make sure no evidence gets out that would potentially ruin her, before helping Klaus find his grenade.

__

That night, she comes back to her motel with Cha Cha. It's not a 'home'. Not by any sense of the word. On the contrary, she kind of hates it there. Klaus's house is giant, but even just smudged in his one, admittedly large bedroom, there's a certain warmth there that she never felt before anywhere else, and Mary thinks that if there were ever a place she could call a home, that would be it.

__

Dammit.

__

"Oh, pah-leeze!" Mary scoffs when Cha Cha says something about the mission progress. "It's just like the Handler wanted. He doesn't even have to die! The apocalypse? Pretty much averted!" She brags, causing Cha Cha to roll her eyes.

__

"You really don't know, do you?"

__

Mary feels a bit of dread at that, but refuses to let it show or falter her bravados, for the sake of making an impression. Still she asks in a sickly cocky tone, "Know what?"

__

Annoyingly, Cha Cha doesn't answer, but Mary's used to that crap by now, from the Handler, her grandmother, even Klaus. Instead Cha Cha asks. "Is he on drugs yet?"

__

"What?" Mary asks, feeling sick just thinking about.

__

"It says he was the most expendable of those freaks. We don't kill him, then he better be out of the way in the future. I.E.: the junkie."

__

Maybe she wasn't as ready to go on missions as she thought. She had been so sure that a year was too much time, but now she feels so much dread thinking about when this year finally comes to an end. Her trainers were wrong, she's still soft. She's soft, and she likes warm things, and she can't let anything horrible happen to Klaus Hargreeves.

__

Klaus Hargreeves who doesn't deserve to be left behind by the family he was given. Klaus Hargreeves who deserves so much better than to be on some cold street corner with a needle in his arm. Klaus Hargreeves who taught her how to bake fucking cookies.

__

Mary needs.... Mary needs.... Mary needs to betray the Commission.

__

Oh, God, no.

__

But... it would be worth it? Klaus would be safe, and happy, and the world would still be in one piece.

__

Maybe that would be enough.

__

It should be enough.

__

It's gonna be eno-

__

She feels the bullet coming for her before it broke through the window.

__

Mary drops and rolls onto the floor. Bullets pour in. Cha Cha immediately grabs and sets her gun, but when the bullets stop, the door is kicked opened and half of the legendary Umbrella Academy break into their room. Number Two kicks Cha Cha's gun away and they fight hand to hand.

__

Number One swerves around them and lifts his fist to throw a punch at her. Mary backflips away from him and concentrates on him until he's thrown away from her.

__

She sees that the others are fighting her partner. Ben comes at her but she lands a kick on his side. She dodges a knife thrown her way. Cha Cha is good, a skilled fighter, one of the greats. But even she can't overcome the strength several Hargreeves put together can bring. Mary watches as Two, Diego, knocks Cha Cha out.

__

Number Five jumps into the crowded room and aims his rifle at her, and she should probably run out of the way, but instead she does the exact opposite. She feels the bullets hit her skin and the blood being shot out of her body but she doesn't flinch. She does not stop or stumble or shake. She does not feel like dying at that moment, and so she simply doesn't. Skin and blood freeze in the air and make their way back to her body as she raises her hand.

__

The assailant jerks and drops his weapon. His feet rise off the ground and his back arches. He seems to be in pain. Just by jerking her hand, she sends him flying out the window.

__

"I Heard a Rumor-"

__

Mary jumps out the window as she hears Three be cut off by the sound of several crashes. Knifes fly past her but she rounds the corner.

__

Suddenly though, her body stops and stiffens. Her spine straightens uncomfortably.

__

She's levitated up into the air. Mary remembers when she was a little girl, goofing off on the school playground. She always loved the slides the most, though her teachers banned her from playing on it. She loved swinging on that thing. Despite her teachers screaming that she was swinging too high, she never listened. Maybe her powers made the swing go higher. And then she'd let go. She loved it. The wind against her skin, the feeling of her powers bristling out of her even if she didn't know it yet.

__

The wind rustling gets louder. And louder. And Mary was helpless. She has to think but she can't. She's not strong enough. She's not strong enough to beat Vanya Hargreeves. Death thy name is Vanya Hargreeves.

__

_"So you're the only gay person in your family?" Mary asks._

__

_"Pansexual." Klaus corrects. "I'm the only out person in my family. That I know of.... I could totally see Dee or Ally being bi. And if neither Five or Luther are ace, take a gun and shoot me."_

__

_Mary really doesn't get all the terms Klaus uses for gay people. Pan? Ace? She didn't know what a bisexual was before this mission. Though apparently that's kind of what Klaus was, but also really not._

__

_"Oh and you can't tell me Vanya's not a deeply repressed lesbian. Or bisexual, I don't have a right to determine what she's into." Klaus sighs, leaning back. "Closeted thy name is Vanya Hargreeves."_

__

Interesting.

__

She can use that.

__

Mary grabs Vanya's cheeks with her hands and forces her face on her lips.

__

When she lets go, she runs for it. Looking back, Vanya doesn't chase after her. Just stands there. Not chasing after her.

__

She runs as far as her legs are willing to take her, and when she finally has to stop to catch her breath, she's pretty sure that no one was following her. Taking a sigh of relief, she turns into an alley corner, and finds herself running headfirst into the Handler.

__

XXX

__

In a way, the return to the Commission is like returning home. It's all she's ever known for a long time, and though she was always watched, always regulated, never allowed in specific places, it feels like home. Like it's a part of her.

__

Still, she supposes a home isn't supposed to have so many parts she's never seen before. At least that's what she thinks as the Handler takes her to a wing that's especially foreign to her. Most of the Commission is so clean. So put-together, and all business. This part though, it's different. Even when the Handler turns on all the lights, it seems dark. Mary coughs on dust that seems endless and all around.

__

"What is this place?" She asks.

__

How the Handler doesn't choke on dust getting caught in her glass of wine, Mary isn't sure. She walks over to something covered by a sheet and counters. "What isn't this place?"

__

The sheet is pulled off, revealing a lever. Her hand hovers the control panel and the machine lights up.

__

"Is this-" Mary gasps. The Handler smiles and nods.

__

"This machine sets everything according to plan." The Handler smiles. "You see, the timeline is a headache and a half. With this, we know exactly the catastrophic effects of the last round. Pull this lever, and all the changes made are set in stone. Well not in stone, per say, but.... You see if the _events_ of 2019 are not set, then mine and all your co-worker's home, our existence, are no longer there. The Commission is a safe ground. A place outside the time stream, allowing those who would otherwise be casualties of time anomalies to live another day. But the casualties miss their home."

__

"What are you talking about?" Mary murmurs, feeling dread and fear for what this woman would do to her bubble in her chest.

__

"You're not one of us, Mary. At least not by birth. Though to be fair you're a rarity. But for the rest of us.... Certain things need to happen in order for my species to end up where it did. The foundation of time travel was honestly the worst thing that ever happened to us."

__

Mary looks at the Handler. "What do you mean 'my species'?"

__

Her back straightens, but she smiles brightly.

__

"Misspoken." She smiles. "Here. Look at this." The Handler's hand (ha) ghosts (ha) over a looking glass handing from the ceiling and sends it over to her.

__

Through it, she sees straight into the home of the Hargreeves clan. She watches how Five beats her tied-up partner as well as his scrawny child muscles can handle.

__

"He truly was one of our best." The Handler sighs. "You people, and your powers are so endearing.... I don't think you'd have gotten along with him though."

__

Mary raises an eyebrow. Sure she doesn't like Five right now because of how their family treats Klaus, but why not?

__

The Handler must see her confusion cause she continues. "It wasn't exactly surprising when Five betrayed us.... in fact not even a week before his departure I decided to test him. An early family reunion mayhaps? A trip to the sixties? A stray bullet in a war zone?"

__

Mary looks up at the Handler with wide eyes. "Klaus was a breach in the timeline."

__

"And what insignificant man was keeping him there?" The Handler smirks. "Five had no trouble breaking his brother's heart. I thought it was a sign.... I guess not."

__

Five murdered Dave. Five ruined his life. 

__

"Now, you've been in 2004 a few months now. Such a bright girl, that should be enough time to set Klaus back on his chosen path."

__

Klaus would die if he ever knew. No, he would kill Five if he knew. He would-

__

Destroy the world.

__

Mary shouldn't tell him. That feels like a bad solution. Should she?

__

Before she could process what's happening, the Handler switches a lever. All the mechanics click into place accordingly.

__

Allison Hargreeves stands in front of Cha Cha and says, "I heard a rumor you told us everything about the Commission and everything we need to know in order to stop the-"

__

The bells on the machine ring and through the looking glass, Mary sees Cha Cha's back straighten and in a moment her partner is simply gone. No trace left behind, she's just gone.

__

Mary gasps as do the Hargreeves. She looks at the Handler at shock, who just looks back in disappointment. "Well.... seems they breed another traitor. Oh well. Detain her."

__

__

__


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus makes several discoveries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know, it's been awhile! But... this is a big chapter, so there is that.

He finds it by accident. His training has been seriously cut down recently, and Klaus hasn't really noticed. Mary doesn't come today, Klaus doesn't know why, and feels sad when she doesn't but he doesn't raise an eyebrow. It's not like they have to spend every day together. That would be smothering.

Being lonely does terrible things to Klaus's mind, things Klaus has been trying to repress for Mary's sake, but with nothing else to distract his mind, it wanders back there, again and again and again. Draw a bath. Steal a knife from Diego. Find something in the hunting cabinet. 

He doesn't like letting his mind wander back there. So he tries to distract himself. Listens to music and when that doesn't work, tries something, anything to silence the voices. What is the point of knowing how to get rid of the dead voices when he just imagines others in their place?

So he finds something to keep him from going back there. He finds a way to annoy his siblings without actually having to interact with his siblings.

A notebook, not unlike the kinds Klaus and Vanya keep. Opened recently, probably for that whole Commission thing. And trying to be whimsy, Klaus thumbs through it. Maybe he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have. Because a name catches his eye that makes him stop. It's about a target of Five's that he no doubt murdered. Because that's what Five used to do, which they all knew, and no one batted an eye. Klaus didn't bat an eye.

One of Five's last targets.

**Year: 1968, August 14th**

**Terminate: Vietnam Soldier David J. Katz.**

Okay. Okay. Okay. 

He's not okay.

Dave was a fucking English teacher. There was no reason anyone would want him dead except for the small fact that Klaus Hargreeves was ready to leave 2019 behind to be with him.

They made his brother do it. They made his brother do that to him.

Did Five know? Did Five know what he did to him? 

What if he did?

What if they all knew? What if they all knew and didn't care? What if they knew and approved of what he did? What if they all helped him? What if they all thought Dave had it coming for being stupid and amazing enough to be in love with Klaus? What if they helped? What if they all worked with Five and the Commission and plotted to murder him? What if they were all working against him, ready to pounce, and kill Dave because he committed the crime of making awful, stupid Klaus happy? Heaven forbid Klaus be happy for once. What if they were all in on it? Oh they were all in it, plotting against him, and wanting to ruin his life as revenge for his existence. That's what all those meetings he's not invited to are about. Of course that's what it's all about. It was always about ruining Klaus's life.

And if they didn't it doesn't matter anyway. Nobody will care. Nobody will believe him.

K-Klaus needs to leave now. And get fresh air. And-

The migraine is unbearable as he walks down the stairs. A ringing in his ear makes him feel like his head is going to explode as he holds his hands to his head in desperation to get rid of the awful pain he's feeling.

Just.... step. Step. Step. One foot lower in front of the other.

He imagines that his path would be cut off by Vanya and Diego cheerily racing down the stairs like they sometimes do now that they're friends. He vaguely registers himself telling them to watch where they're going from far away. He assumes they ignore him.

As he reaches the bottom he squints his eyes shut as his head throbs. His arms slump at his side. He's suddenly so tired.

Klaus stops to catch himself on the wall. He thinks Ben passes by and thinks of a voice call his name but he doesn't want to turn and see him.

And yet he does.

He's alone. The lights are turned off. It's silent. He's alone.

Of course he is.

His siblings left and Klaus was not invited.

The alcohol burns in his throat. Mentally he recognizes it, but it's almost foreign to this version of him.

He wants to cry. He wants to kill Five. He wants to go to Ben and tell him everything. He wants to collapse into his brothers' arms the way they did when he first realized Ben had come back to life after arriving in the past. But he can't do any of that. Because his siblings left for the night and Klaus was not asked to go with them.

He sees his reflection in the liquor. Sees the bags under his eyes. He looks fifteen and a hundred years old at the same time. He doesn't recognize the person staring back.

He misses himself. He hates himself. But he misses himself. And Klaus knows he was a dick and he probably earned every bit of hate his family harbors for him. He lied, cheated, stole, and disappointed for so long. He was a junkie. But he misses himself.

Once upon a time, he was useless, and he never tried to pretend he wasn't. He got scared of a lot things. He was good, but he did bad things. He was in between two worlds that would never understand him and he cracked under the pressure. He was an idiot, but a kind idiot. He was falling apart every passing day and knew no one could or would help him. And despite never being alone, he was lonely.

That was who Klaus Hargreeves was. He's dead now. His dad and his siblings and his mission and his powers killed him.

But was that fair or did he let them? Or was he always this way and just pretended he wasn't. But at least Klaus has new powers.

He never wanted to be powerful. He never wanted powers. He never wanted to fly or move things without touching them. He'd give them up in a heartbeat to go back to Dave and just be reckless and loud and himself and loved for being himself.

But he can't. Can he? They swallowed him up and he's hallow. But at least there's Mary. He didn't ask for that little girl, but at least he had her.

He looks for Mary. He stumbles out of his mansions. Well, he flies out to her motel, but doesn't find her. He finds broken windows, the ghost and dead body of a lady who tortured him, and discarded knives. His siblings had been here.

His siblings disappeared off to go fight the Commission.

Klaus was never stupid.

He should be more surprised than he is. He really, really should be more surprised than he is. Mary was his best friend. She still is, because it's not like he has any relationship with any person besides his dad, who's his dad.

A whole new sting of betrayal burns in his chest, but Klaus can't feel it. It's there, but he's numb to it.

He tries, he does, he does try to feel it, but there's so much pain 

Klaus will kill her. No he won't. The thought of hurting a hair on her head nauseates him, but he just, he can't- he can't.

Does the thought of killing his brothers and sisters nauseate him too? Does the thought of killing his brothers and sisters nauseate him too?

But she was good. She was good, and maybe Klaus just wanted to believe 

Of course they would send the spy after Klaus. He's the weak one. The one no one cares about. The one no one would bat an eye for if he were to go missing or got brainwashed by a time assassin.

Okay. Okay. Okay.

He stumbles out to the sidewalk. It's his own fault. He believed in someone. Believed someone could care about him. It's his fault for being so stupid.

Goddamnit.

No one normal just shows up at your window and insists on being your BFF. No one steals a car and drives hours for a boy she's known for less than a month. No one will ever speak to Klaus Hargreeves without needing something from him.

Except for that one time someone did.

Perhaps that's just that. Klaus was selfish in his first life, so why should anyone want him for unselfish reasons in the second. But then weren't his siblings? Isn't that the point of having a second life?

Across the street, a window breaks.

He feels so tiny. He feels trapped and he can't breathe. Like he's a doll and he's trapped in a box, and he can't move, and he can't talk, he can't do anything.

He doesn't like it. Klaus has been locked in box for two years. He got locked in a mausoleum and when he left, he was locked in the cage of being a son of Sir Reginald Hargreeves. Trapped in a prison that left little room breathe, and when he was finally free, he let out everything he repressed and the monster was too hungry to be tamed.

It's only been two and a half years. Two and a half years back in that cage, and though he's let the monster leak through, it's hungry again. Somehow hungrier than ever before.

It's not spite the monster is hungry for. Spite against the life Klaus was sold to as a baby, the powers that were given to him at random without his consent, or the family that still sees him as garbage beneath their clean, powerful feet.

No this is different.

The monster doesn't want some petty revenge against his family.

The monster wants revenge.

And maybe Klaus does too.

It doesn't scare him the way that it's supposed to.

The monster wants out and so does Klaus. The monster is angry and so is Klaus. The monster wants revenge and Klaus does too. The monster is trapped and Klaus can relate. The monster is young and old at the same time and he really can't afford to be confused right now.

He finds he doesn't want to think about that statement.

What if Klaus the monster? What if that's what he is now? What if that's what he's been reduced to? A starving beast rotting away in its prison. What if that's all that's left of what Klaus Hargreeves once was? What if all that's left of him is an imprisoned rage that leaks out of him but is never let out?

Then let it leak. And a leak can lead to an explosion. And explosions mean a fire. And if there's a fire, let it burn.

They ruined him.

"Shut up." He says automatically. "Don't talk about Dave like that."

But it's true. Dave. And Ben. They loved him. Or at least he thought they did. He was a train wreck, and they loved him. That's what happened? That's why he had hope for the rest of his family. If the most beautiful man in the world, plus the only not garbage member of the Hargreeves family could love him, why not them?

"Shut up!" He screams. There's no one there. As always.

He wants out. He wants out of this life. Out of this 'family' that never truly was a family to him. Out of this goddamn body where he can't breathe because it's too small and his skin is like prison bars and he just can't breathe in them, okay? He wants out. No, he needs out.

He should get out. 

His heart starts beating. Faster, faster, faster. He leans against the back wall of the motel that Mary lived in because that's where assassins who have no soul live- Stop.

He needs to get out.

His hand grips a metal bar, holding on for dear life. His body shakes and his eyes clench together. Through half-lidded eyes, he sees something escaping his arm. Something blue. At first he expects his powers, but it's something new. An arm. Another arm escapes from his, a longer arm, reaching out of his. His own arm never lets go of the railing, but he loses his senses. He can't feel it anymore. He-he needs to feel grounded, he needs anything. 

He tries to find the railing again. The blue man's hand grip the railing, and he can feel it again. The metal under his fingers and palms of his hands, and he does not let go.

His body never felt so at a riptide. Fuck Ben. Fuck Five. Fuck Ma- Fuck Vanya, and Allison, and Luther, and everyone else who used him like a tool because he was easy pickings. 

He thinks he screams. He thinks he screams for Dave, and Ben, and Mary, and every person who stands as a piece of evidence that Klaus's misery.

He sees his hands and arms let go of the railing, but Klaus still feels himself holding on. His vision doesn't shift out. The blue skin of the ghost turns to a tannish color, only colored with familiar looking tattoos.

Klaus got out.

He turns around shakily, only letting go of his lifeline for a few short moment. Behind him, he sees something unprecedented. It's.... himself. 

The child blinks slowly and checks his surroundings. Something Klaus learned as a child.

"Who are you?"

"Evidently.... you. From the future."

The kid blinks. "Cool."

"Well this is a new development. But could be good. Clearly, I can only trust myself." Klaus says in a shaky voice. He should sit down. He feels so.... much. Like his heart is beating at ninety minutes an hour. Is that the right term? Doesn't matter.

"What the hell had to happen to bring to you to that conclusion?" Little Klaus asks, looking honestly horrified.

"Well.... Okay then." He shrugs, his breath stilling.

XXX

"Okay why would I say yes to something like that though?" Little Klaus asks, honestly bewildered.

They sat on the concrete, backs resting against the motel where he met Mary and became her friend, and where his siblings probably had her murdered because she's a member of the fuckers who tortured him and killed Dave-

"I guess I just thought they'd appreciate it." He says softly.

"Okay, but why?" He asks, persistent.

"For awhile our life is totally awesome. Drugs. Sex. Drugs. Parties. Drugs. Drugs. Sometimes all at the same times."

"Cool!" Little Klaus smiles. He probably shouldn't, but he meets his own fond smile.

"Yeah...." He sighs. "I guess I regret it. I'm kinda supposed to, it's kinda what ruins our lives but.... anyway, that's kind of just our life and it's awesome." Little Klaus doesn't seem phased, clearly okay with this future. Little idiot. "And then we fought in Vietnam."

".... What?" Little Klaus blinks.

"You fight in the Vietnam War when you're older."

Little Klaus blinks again. "Look, I know I'm not the least gullible shoe in the box, but I would appreciate not being lied to."

"Shh, shh, shut up." Klaus puts a finger to his lips, which his younger self bats away. Rude. "That's when you meet Dave. Oh Dave." He sighs.

Little Klaus looks at him oddly.

"I remember, he asked us about about life and I told him. I told him I was adopted by.... Dad. And our siblings. And how we had claustrophobia because he used to lock us up." Little Him winces. "And the drugs. And the parties. And he didn't judge us. Or wish he was somewhere else.... or talking to someone else...."

He lets himself drift off, remembering the man he loves so dearly.

"Our heart gives a flutter but I don't say anything at all...." Klaus again finds himself drifting off sadly, before closing his eyes and taking hold of himself. He comes back with a loud; "Because that's what you do! You hardwire yourself so that when you feel that stupid flutter you just- you get out of there! You're the junkie. Drugs. Sex. Drugs. Parties. Drugs. Drugs. That's us!"

He laughs hollowly, and, yeah, Little Klaus is looking at him all concerned and shit. 

"Okay, so one time, our squad stops at this disco. Soul Kitchen is playing. And Dave is looking fine, of course, but at this point I've accepted that I'm in the sixties for the time being, we'll probably just sleep with woman until I figure out that time machine. Which, I mean, it fine! More than fine! Vietnamese chicks- hot. And they were Vietnamese. You like sex in the future. Although there was this one girl from the states. She was a reporter-"

"Is this what it's like being one of my siblings?" Little Klaus interrupts him, and he realizes he got off-tract.

"Right but this one time we got super sloshed. We laughed, and drank, and danced. Something about him just drew me in." He rubs his hands to his cheeks in remembrance. He catches Little Klaus shaking his head. "What? Gay dancing is the best kind of dancing."

Little Klaus just moans. "Great. I grow up to be all mushy. That was your guys's first kiss?"

Klaus feels like he should hit the back of his head or something, but he just nods all starry-eyed. "I'm just so drunk. Drunk on alcohol and drunk on the smell of Dave's sixties cologne. I stare in his eyes and bite my lip. I'm choking when he tells a joke. And it's like what's wrong with me, why am I fucking nervous? I'm Klaus! Next thing I know we're kissing in the back of a bar at a disco."

"Oh God." Little Klaus hides his face in his hands. Klaus pats his back.

"My thoughts exactly, kiddo. We didn't even have sex until two weeks later!" Little Klaus fake gags. "It was.... sweet. I wasn't used to sweet. I knew I probably shouldn't. Told myself to forget about it. Go get high, maybe abandon the military entirely. It's easier." He unconsciously nods his head, feeling painful. "We're Klaus. We don't fall in love. We get sexy. And confused. Still...."

"So you left?" Little Klaus asks quietly.

"I figured out how the time machine worked after seven weeks. I stayed for ten months. Because.... Dave asked me to. We were in the sixties. In the military. And he asked me to stay. He didn't avoid me. He didn't sell me out as queer to save his own ass. He didn't just let me go. I was worth discrimination. To everyone else, I wasn't worth a damn. I wasn't worth a check up to make sure I wasn't kidnapped by assassins. But I was worth it to Dave."

"Kidnapped by assassins?"

"And thrown into Vietnam."

The kid scoffs and Klaus feels himself come down from his undrug-related high. He looks so innocent. So squishable. He was doomed from the start. So he tells himself that.

"My first day in distraction duty was so scary. I hadn't trained with him in so long. A part of me hated Five and Luther for making me do it, but I told myself that if I just do this for Vanya, I'd.... I don't know. Be a better person I suppose. And that night as I.... slept off the training, I wondered how they didn't hear my screaming from Griddy's diner."

"They-they went out for donuts?"

"Vanya always had to finish training before me. They used to get so upset with me for not making it last longer, but really they just wanted to relax and eat junk foot without Reginald to worry about." Klaus. "I asked Ben to bring me takeout at first, but he forgot. Every fucking time. I was pretty sure he did it on purpose." He laughs hysterically.

Little Klaus is silent. Mary would have said something comforting right around now. But she betrayed him like everyone else.

"Not that it was really about donuts. Not really. I just.... wanted to believe I wasn't putting myself on our father only to get absolutely nothing in return." Klaus says bitterly. "I know, I know! It's all about Vanya.... but I guess I was still selfish. I guess I still am selfish. Wanting things for myself."

He feels the child's growing anxiety but finds he doesn't care.

"You know, when I was your age.... when I was you I told myself as I ingested poison into my- your tiny little body I told myself that if this was selfish, then I'm a selfish person and so be it. It's a cruel and painful pattern. Our powers are selfish by nature, we see the dead and no one else, and as a result our family sees garbage. So then we do selfish things and when we finally stop they're all pricks. Every last one of them. And now.... now."

"I-I do. I do love my family." Little Klaus says timidly. "I- I never wanted anybody to think any diff-"

"Maybe you shouldn't." Klaus interrupts him. "Maybe love is conditional, in every sense of the word. And if you're a junkie, your siblings won't care if you get clean. In fact the only one who will stick around and treat you like a person will only do it because he has literally no one else to talk to. Those are the conditions, and when you break them, you're just one of two problems our family can throw at each other and get out of the way. Our father ruined all of our lives, except maybe Five's, and we were as big a nuisance as him. And we just needed to get out of the way so they could be a family."

The child has tears running down his cheeks. Klaus wonders if he's just scared shitless or if the truth is hitting him like a bag of bricks. Possibly both. Almost gently, Klaus lifts a thumb to wipe away his tears.

"Oh don't be sad, now. Leaving us to rot will be their last regret." Little Klaus does a double-take and stares up at him in shock. "I could kill you right now." He whispers in his frozen younger self's ear. "I could kill you and that would be that. And most of what they put us through just disappears."

The kid chokes on a gasp and Klaus can tell he tries not to cry, as he was taught to his entire life. Feeling a rush of pity, Klaus adds. "But I would never do something like that, of course! We do love someone else though. So have hope. But I'll admit, it's odd though.... A different love than what we've felt before. And I'm trying to be mad at her, but somehow, I'm blanking, so forgive me. Maybe I just need to see her for what's real. We should see her. I want to see her. At least this last time. She deserves a goodbye."

Klaus steps closer towards his younger self. The kid stiffens. He can tell Little Klaus wants to bolt, so he adds, "Oh, don't worry, I'd die before I ever hurt her."

Little Klaus runs for it. He's barely a foot away before Klaus grabs him, his fist glowing blue, and his vision blurs. He closes his eyes and braces himself for another onset of migraine-inducing nausea, before he moves his tiny hand onto the railing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late, again, which I'm fearing might become a trend, but I really do love this story guys.

"Stop! Let me go!" Mary screams as she struggles to escape the grasps of the agents attacking her. She tries to fight them off with her powers, but it's all so chaotic. She can't think straight. She doesn't know what they want to do with her, and that brings a spike in her chest that keeps her from clearing her head. If Mary manages to get one away with a burst of her powers, two more crop up in his or her place, dragging her to her damnation.

They drag her. They drag her to her floor. The floor she grew up on, at least partially. Mary doesn't know what they plan to do, but she just knows that she has to escape, because she had one job, and she couldn't even do that, the dirty traitor, horrible and messy, just like her mother-

She half-expects the closet, like she's just a bratty little kid. Instead, they throw her into the timeout room. The room for when she's very, very bad.

"No." She chokes out. "No!"

Mary scrambles to stand up, to do something before they can hurt her any more, but the coworkers are pointing their guns at her, and she can't focus, and-and- one guy is pressing those damn buttons, and Mary failed her mission. Mary knows they won't go easy on her if she failed her mission.

And then, the sound of alarms bells ringing through the floor. Strange, alarms never went off the other times she was put into her timeout room.

BANG

BANG

BANG

What the fuck?

Out of seemingly nowhere, the agents are thrown out of the way. Not by the force of a strong man, but by the affliction of blue light knocking them all away like toys swatted away by a child who needs room on his shelf.

There are no sound of footsteps before Klaus floats to in front of the door, looking livid, but he takes one look at her and his animalistic expression softens to resignation in an instant, though maybe unwillingly.

Nevertheless, Klaus's face still is that of anger as Mary runs to him, and yet she doesn't hesitate to throw her arms around his neck and go in for an embrace. For some reasons, she thinks there's a moment of hesitation before Klaus returns her hug.

Mary pulls away, grinning up at him like an idiot and patting him on the shoulder. "How did you find me?!"

The look on Klaus's face makes her pause before she realizes- oh shit.

"I-I can explain!" Mary stutters.

Klaus doesn't say anything. Somehow she finds he doesn't have to to know what's going through his head. She's fucking screwed.

She saves it for after they're back in the time stream, when they're likely safer than they were in the Commission.

"I wasn't lying about my mom and grandmother." Mary explains. "They both abandoned me. First my mom, and then a few years later Grandma decided she'd had enough of me, and I guess the Commission just came to her. They raised me, trained me, controlled me. Everything I have ever done was because of how they brought me up. But I really do care about you Klaus."

Mary hasn't been up to date on her religion ever since, but for years she'd say a little prayer before meals just out of habit, and at some point she even grew outed that. But today she finds herself praying again, hoping that Klaus will understand.

"I believe you." Klaus says to her relief, but then her hopes are dashed when he says in a sad tone, "But I don't trust you. I'm sorry, but I just want to say goodbye."

"What?! No, you can't." Mary's eyes widen. "I had as much say over who raised me as you did!" 

"But we can't change who it was that raised us." Klaus shakes his head. "You lied to me... And I can't forgive what those people did to me. What they all did to me."

"You can't just leave me!" Mary snaps in desperation.

Klaus looks back at her and sighs. "No, no I can't. Can I? Fine! I concede! I would like to not have to wonder about your well-being from here on out." Klaus shakes his head in submission.

"So you'll stay?" Mary says hopefully.

Klaus looks at her sadly. "Mary.... I don't know you."

"Yes, you do!"

"Do I? You lied to me from day one, worked for an agency that had me tortured by the way, an-and an agency that had Da- that had... my sister... destroy the world."

"Klaus-" Mary starts. Maybe she should tell him what he'll do. Maybe then he'll listen to her.

"Never mind," Klaus snaps. "Just... come with me."

They take a bus, Klaus giving her the silent treatment the entire time. She considers broaching a conversation multiple times, but every time she decides against, talking herself out of it. He just needs space and time to think things over. That's all.

He never tells her where they're going, just stands up at one point when the bus stops and gestures for her to follow. Klaus leads her to a huge building. A hotel.

"This place is fancy as fuck." She hears Klaus murmur as they walk towards the hotel doors.

"You're right." She says, desperately trying to get him to see her again. "I get the stealing your father's money thing, but we're both clearly teenagers who've been through shit. How are we supposed to convince anyone we're not a couple cat burglars?"

"Good point." Klaus sighs. Mary can actually see the exact moment something clicks for him. Like a light bulb going off above his head, but instead she sees it in the way his face brightens like he's almost proud of himself. It's a good look on him.

"Care to share with class?" Mary says. Klaus ignores her in favor of ducking behind a few bushes. Mary quickly follows him.

"Klaus, tell me what's going on!"

"I have an idea, okay! But it's kinda weird, and I probably should have mentioned something about it earlier, but I didn't, and it can actually come in handy." He says.

Mary nods. "Okay, good, what is it?"

"Uh..." Klaus starts. "It's.... probably best you just see first hand."

"Oh, okay?"

He takes several steps away from her and-

Is he using his telekinesis? Nothing is moving, and- What is he doing?

So a man's ghost extracts himself Klaus? His blue body turns to a normal skin tone as Klaus collapses onto the ground, looking stunned and gasping for air.

"What the fuck just happened?" Mary pants, and then louder says, "What the fuck just happened!?"

"Have I been influencing your vocabulary?" The adult man asks distractedly.

"Jesus, I've been having some weird trips lately." Klaus mutters, kinda stupidly. Mary can instantly tell something's different about him. Not completely, but enough. It's bizarre, like there's this chaotic energy about him that's still there, maybe even more so, but there's an innocence, or maybe naivety, that most definitely was not there at all thirty seconds ago.

"What is happening?" Mary whispers to both herself and to Klaus, who just shrugs over-dramatically.

"Fucks if I know!" Klaus harrumphs. "I've just accepted at this point that my life is fucking weird, you know? Like last week I saw this tiger crossing the street, and I started freaking out, but it turns out the lion was already dead."

Mary squints at him. "Huh?"

"Ignore him." The man brushes Klaus behind him ("Rude!" Klaus whines.) and looks down at her, then back at the hotel, and back again.

"Who are you!?" Mary demands.

"Look, Mary, can you just... I don't know, entertain the younger version of me, make sure he doesn't make me relapse or some shit like that while I talk to the fancy hotel people? Can you do that? For me? Please?" The man says patronizingly before leaving for the hotel entrance without waiting for her response.

She shakes her head, blinking, before turning to Klaus, who looks so weirded out.

That's not possible.

No.

That would be weird.

What the fuck?

No.

Test it out.

"Klaus...."

"Yup?"

"Drugs?"

"Please." Klaus doesn't even hesitate, and looks almost hopeful.

Oh fuck.

"Telekinesis!" She tries again.

".... Okay?" Klaus says questioningly.

"Dave!" Mary frantically yells.

"And Busters?" He offers.

"Oh my god." Mary sighs, resting a hand on her forehead. "Okay... how old are you?"

"Fifteen."

".... I get it."

"Okay!" The man- Klaus, as an adult apparently, announces to them as he walks back. "I talked to the hotel people, they'll be housing up you for another year and a half, and then you're on your own. Can you please figure something out for yourself in that time?"

"Klaus, you can't make me- a year and a half!?" Mary says in shock. 

"I stole one of my dad's credit cards before I bounced. You'd be shocked what money can buy you." Adult Klaus tells her.

"I don't doubt that. You can't make me stay here." Mary says stubbornly.

"I'm not making you do anything." Klaus snaps. "I'm sorry if I like wasting time making sure kids don't end up on the street."

"So now I'm a kid to you?" She barks.

"You always were." Klaus says dryly, causing her chest to ache like it would with every 'well-intentioned' criticisms her snooty aunts would offer her. "If you decide to go in there, that's your choice. Tell the lady at the front desk your name is Mary Hargreeves, we're Reginald's first cousins or whatever, and they'll give you some card or badge so you don't have to pay for meals."

Damn, that sounds like a good-ass deal. 

"No." She crosses her arms and glares at him with straight shoulders and a clenched jaw. 

And then, something strange happens. She sees the steely, almost detached look in Klaus's eyes fade into something almost sad, defeated. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Mary asks in concern.

He blinks it away in a second. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. And it's like I said, do it, don't do it, doesn't matter to me. It's not like I ever made good on throwing a dog a bone, before."

"You know I'm not a dog, right?" She deadpans, and feels accomplished when he cracks a smile.

"Of course not... You're a kitty."

Mary surges forward, wrapping her arms around him, and he doesn't hesitate to hug her back this time.

"I wanna go with you." She whispers in his ear.

"I-I know," Klaus says back just as quietly. "And I really am sorry, but I can't let you follow me where I'm going."

She pulls back, blinking away tears, but even then she finds her cheek just a little moist, but Klaus wipes it away. She sees it. No, him. Mary sees the person she calls her best friend. He's the same, just older, and hurt. So hurt. Did Mary do all of that? If so, maybe there's a reason Klaus doesn't want her around anymore.

"Goodbye." Klaus murmurs.

"Goodbye Klaus." 

Mary watches as Klaus backs away from her a little too hesitantly, and then turns around, breaks into a sprint, and then finally flies away. She watches the sky as he gets smaller and smaller until she eventually can't see him anymore. 

She sits on the ground, not sure what to do with herself anymore. 

"Are you Futire-Me's kid?" A familiar voice interrupts her moment with a curious tone. 

XXX

The hotel room is big, and Mary feels as small as a mouse as she observes the large suite. And maybe it's not just the room making her feel this way. So she still kind of has her best friend, but also kind of not?

No, not kind of, Klaus is gone now. He left her. He fucking left her. The boy rummaging around her new hotel suite is just a pre-mature substitute in the same body.

"I should go back home." Klaus- Little Klaus announces, before he stands up and coughs. "My family is probably worried about me."

It makes her boil inside, thinking about him leaving her too. Mary doesn't even look up as she scoffs. "No, they aren't."

Klaus freezes. "What?"

Despite the way her chest burns, Mary realizes what she did and internally kicks herself. Really not the best thing to say. She tries to push down the hurt and anger and awkwardly gives him what's probably not a warm smile, but she tries.

"This is awkward...." Mary sighs, not wanting to lie about his family's intentions after all they've done to hurt him. It's just not fair. Mary was there for Klaus, helped him out, valued him as a person, and they treated him like garbage, and yet she is thrown to wayside. Now she's about to be left again, this time for those same bastards? How is this fair?

So, maybe her chest is flared up a little too much when she smiles fakely and says. "You see.... your family does not love you."

"What?" Klaus chuckles slightly. Which will only make things worse because it's not really a joke.

"Well...." She starts alluringly. "Maybe not loving you is a bit.... much. It's just that they love each other a lot more."

Klaus is looking at her with wide eyes, like she's crazy or something. She's been called crazy for as long as she could remember. It angers her, makes her want to really rub in what this Klaus wants to leave her for.

"Wow, I'm so bad at this!" Mary chuckles nervously for show. "Okay, I'm only saying this because I do care about you, and seeing you like this hurts me as well, so..... Look, I know it's totally sad, but are you really.... you know.... surprised?"

"I mean, a little." Klaus huffs. ".... Who are you?"

"That's not important right now." Mary says with a stiff smile. "What I'm trying to say is..... Has your family ever actually believed in you? No. Will your family ever believe in you? Also no. Look when I met you, as in you, from the present, all I could think was; that little boy's gonna get his heart broken into a million tiny pieces."

"That was your first impression of me?" Klaus asks with wide eyes. "Am I even younger than you?"

Mary sighs. "Yes that was my first impression of you. Now I really don't want you to get surprised by them, so let me put it like this. If there was a fire, or a flood, or a massacre, and it was you or one of your other siblings who was about to die a painful death- not even a competition. But, I mean, that much is basic unfavortism, right?"

She looks to Child Klaus, making sure he's following along. He is, but seems dazed, and horrified, and a little hurt. She knows it's sad, but at least this version is mostly getting it from a kind messenger and not experience, right? This is fine. She's doing him a favor, really.

"Actually.... actually if one of their favorite objects got caught up in disaster with you, like Vanya's violin, or Agent Five's life partner-"

"Five!?" Klaus repeats.

"Or that necklace you were telling me about!" Mary ignores him as usual. "Or... I don't know if that Knife Boy has any favorite knives or-"

"Diego?" He sounds honestly confused.

"Let's just say that anything your family may own, they would rather save from a tragedy than you. So just.... look out for yourself. Okay?" She smiles.

Klaus gapes at her.

But he doesn't leave.

Her speech obviously made him feel sad, but it was true wasn't it? Of course, Mary's never actually seen them have to make such an ultimatum, but it made a lot of sense. They spend so little time with their brother, they might as well be more attached to comfort objects than Klaus. Plus he did once tell her that he sometimes felt like a broken toy his siblings threw away.

Besides, even if they did decide to save him, they'd probably make him feel bad about needing to be saved and keeping them from getting their things. No, Child Klaus needs to learn how to protect himself. He needs to put up walls like his future self. He needs to build strong, sturdy walls of steel all around him so that no one, not even the people he loves, can penetrate through it and hurt him.

When she first arrived at the Commission, she had been so scared, but the Handler sat next to her and told her that she just had to imagine four strong walls around her, keeping everyone else out, and then painting the outer walls, making it look like whatever was inside was pretty and attractive.

She walks over to the Klaus curled up on the couch, looking sad and broken. He winces when she sits on the chair next to him. She smiles warmly, but he just looks like he's dreading something. Mary decides to go on anyway.

"I'm gonna put this gently, Past Klaus. Your family gave your future self every reason to go back to drugs and he didn't. So in a way, the fact that they could not care less if you were alive or dead is actually a sign of strength. Someday, you won't be the loser they see. And also kind of today because of the whole 'future you' thing. Even if they never see it, and I do mean never, you are stronger than anyone has ever thought. And I know because I do believe in you."

She hopes to at least force out a smile from the chump, but instead she gets a steaming pile of nothing.

It actually kind of hurts that he doesn't feel better. Is she not good enough for him? Did he want his siblings, who he just learned were awful? How could that make him feel better and not Mary, the girl who stuck by him all the way (except for when she was lying and manipulating him)?

He doesn't leave though. Because she made him stay. 

She can make him stay. Good. 

She won't let him go this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeaaaaaah... Sanity? Who's that? Never met her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know, my updating isn't great, and also I joined a completely different fandom, I am NOT abandoning this story.

_'I miss my husband more everyday.'_

"Then why did you kill him, Allison!?" Child Klaus shouts out the screen. Even though they're technically the same person, Mary can't help but feel an ache deep inside her at Klaus's reaction, so similar to that of the man he'll one day grow up to be. It's strange, they may be the same person, but it's clear to her that they are very different people. 

"So you're really from the future?" Her gaze shifts back to him to find Klaus staring at her.

"Well, you got pretty insight into your sister's future movie, so I say 'why doubt it?'" Mary shrugs. "But to answer your question, I am not from the future, I was raised outside the time stream, but I was probably born the same way you and your family were."

"You're one of the forty three?" She can see the way his interest grows. "So, does that make you like, another sister?"

Mary holds back the way this fills her heart and looks over it analytically. She thinks it over. "Uh... I mean I wasn't exactly adopted by a psychotic old man with too much money. I was adopted by psychotic time commission." 

"Okay..." Klaus looks almost disappointed. At the notion of Mary not being his sister? She almost calls it a victory, but there's a tiny voice in the back of her head reminding her in an annoying voice that she just told him all about how garbage his garbage siblings were. He's fragile, and probably just wants to be loved, even if he'll never actually admit it. Of course he'd cling to her.

But that's fine, he'll just have to learn how to love her again. And everything will all be alright again. She'll be good enough this time.

"Hey, you wanna put on another on of your sister's movies? The Commission thought learning your sister's acting tips would keep me from falling for any fake shit in case the mission involved her too much." Mary rambles to him. "I figured I'd steal one or two of her movies while your future self and I were escaping the headquarters after he saved me and stuff. They're not bad, the movies, they're pretty okay. Not a lot of blood though." 

Klaus doesn't look like he knows what to say, so he just shrugs. "Okay, but the next movie better be less confusing. Seriously, why did she kill her husband if she loved him so much?"

"I don't understand marital quarrels!" She snaps without bite. He looks at her amused at this, causing her chest to swell.

Mary chooses one of the few of his sister's movies that is both action and is not completely stupid. Knowing Klaus, he'd probably enjoy the chaos, but she knows for a fact that he's smarter than he seems. Especially without the drugs, which she knows he's gonna try to be getting back on soon enough.

Throughout the movie, Mary pays close attention to Klaus's facial expressions. He seems to actually be enjoying himself, and not just putting on a whole mask to not hurt her precious feelings. He's of course the type to vocalize himself while watching a movie, something his adult self only did after awhile, maybe after getting comfortable and letting his guard down. Her chest aches at the thought.

It's okay, she tells herself. Adult Klaus is completely happy without her because she already ruined that friendship, but hey, happy is happy. She did that. And now she has Child Klaus, and he'll learn to love her the way his adult self did. She'll work for it.

Everyone is born with a specific life. A specific family in a specific place at a specific time. And maybe it's a good life, maybe a bad life, and for awhile, there's nothing anyone can do to change that life. Sometimes people have warm, happy families, and sometimes they are born to just be a nuisance, always in the way with her freakishness. 

Mary knows what it's like to be loved, of course she does. She just wasn't good enough at keeping the people who loved her happy. Same old story, different person to disappoint. And yet she keep on trying.

When you try, and try, and try, you'd think it would stick at least once. Mary tries. She tries hard. Tries to be a good little Catholic girl, or an obedient Commission soldier, or a loyal best friend (not that that was really trying) ready to have and be a part of a real family, or at least something real, and they always fucking leave her.

She does her best. Worked hard. And sure, she questioned things a little too much. In kindergarten she was told asking questions made for better work, something that had always stuck with her, because most people always told her the opposite, to shut her mouth. And yet she always ends up in some new room that doesn't feel like hers, trying to worm her way into someone new's heart just because the last person she trusted told her to. Learn everything she can, she's still not good enough. And she still ends up getting thrown away.

She thinks about the other girls, with their perfect families, who throw them birthday parties and read them bedtime stories. Who have everything, and still complain, but are never tossed to the side or used like Mary.

But she's on her own now. With a child version of her best friend. Which is good.

And so she moves on with her life, again. Because Mary's tough like that. She has to be. Even when it's like everyone who so much as spares her a second thought just come and go as they please, and it's still all Mary's fault. She'll just move on again.

And again, and again, and again. Always overlooked like garbage whilst pretending that it doesn't burn. But it burns, like a fire deep in her chest threatening to boil her from the inside out.

Mary doesn't cry, just like she was always taught. She'll just move on, again. If no one is in her corner from here on out, or tells her they love her.... Well, she'll keep on waiting for someone to do that, eventually. Who cares if the silence is deafening? Not Mary. Mary's more than used to the quiet by now.

Maybe she should send Klaus back. Accept that no one will ever want her, and let that be. Maybe everything would have been better off if she just stayed out of the Hargreeves' family drama, mission be damned. Maybe now that Klaus is young and more naive, he'll convince him to love him as much as Mary loves him. The mental image of Klaus and his brothers and sisters together as a united family blossoms an indescribable warmth in her heart, but it's quick to turn bitter. She's not in that picture. Klaus's happiness is dependent on her not being there.

But at least it's happy.

Wait, how the fuck is she supposed to not draw attention to herself with Klaus as a child? They're gonna wonder why he's not secretly an adult. That is if they're all adults as well. She should've gotten the exact details when she had the chance.

Wait...

Oh fuck.

Did she just?

She's such an idiot.

His family is never gonna love him. Certainly not as much as Mary does. Klaus is young and naive again, there are parts of him that still believe that his family can still care about him, no matter what Mary tried to tell him. If he goes back there, he's gonna try to integrate himself back into the family, who will probably just ignore him some more, but the thought of sending Klaus to the dogs to get his soul ripped apart first hand is sickening to Mary.

Or, and this is next to impossible but that's still evidently possible, his family actually gives him the fucking time of day. Mary doesn't know if his family are also adults, but it wouldn't be a far stretch, especially considering the fact that they act like he's been a fuck up for so many years. And then they'll eventually believe him when they realize he's actually not an adult (like Mary said; unlikely) And then Klaus will tell them about her and they'll connect the dots. And then they'll come after Mary, and she doesn't feel like dealing with them right now. And then they'll try and find Klaus. And that'll really suck for him. Not because she thinks they could hurt him even if they wanted to, which she's fairly sure they don't, but because he shouldn't have to deal with that.

"Mary?" She snaps out of it, blinking. Klaus catches her staring at him. Her spine goes rigid. He opens his mouth. "So... uh, I've been meaning to ask.... That was me from the future, right?"

"Uh-huh." Mary says simply. "Was that your question?"

"Uh, so...." Klaus seems to think for a moment. ".... Why is me from the future here, and if the timeline has changed will that version of me still be around? Is this like Back to the Future?"

"To answer your first question; I don't know." Mary shrugs. "Your powers are weird dude. My guess is that your adult self's soul got into your teenaged body... somehow. I'll think of something for that later. Anyways, we should probably instruct you on how to deal with those."

"Why can't I go back on druuugs?" Klaus whines.

"You're impossible!" Mary groans as she jumps back onto her bed, head in her hands. Adult Klaus was never this difficult. Adult Klaus would have been fun to be around. She calms herself with the memory of him showing her how some of her powers. It was actually fun. Wait. "What if we try something?"

XXX

"You likey?" Mary says with a mischievous grin.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Klaus squeals in delight as he hears the beautiful sound of a ghost's screams getting quieter and quieter as they go somewhere the hell away from him. "Music to my ears! The sound of.... fifteen years of torture repaid."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She sighs. "Do it again."

Klaus does as she says, at first with hesitation, but it becomes increasingly more sure after a moment. Yeah, it does feel better. Not only did he just find a way to get rid of the ghosts without even being under the influence, there's something else under his finger tips. The sheer power he feels from his actions is almost mesmerizing.

"Goodbye you fucking demons! That is the sweet sweet feeling of no more ghosties hanging around again!" Klaus says joyously.

Mary gleefully jumps from the jungle gym straight to the ground. And she can't fly. The girl's got guts. "That is the sweet sweet feeling of-"

"The dead shutting the hell up!" Klaus finishes for her. "Well, kind of. But having them be my servants is even better, right?" He snickers as he snaps and the ghosts lift him up in the air and he stretches out his arms like he's Marilyn Monroe. "But hey! Look at me! This is what freedom looks like! Klaus Hargreeves is finally fucking free." He cackles mischievously.

His entire life has been one invisible battle ground and for the first time in his life something -or more like someone- saw it too and told him how to get it together.

He can't wait to tell Dad! And Diego and Luther too! They'll be so proud of him!

Oh wait... Yeah.

Well, let's not let that get him down. Mary laughs sitting on the swing next to him as he swings back and forth so high he thinks the swing might do a full-circle loopy loop. "Hey, I have an idea. Let go."

"What?" Klaus calls after her.

"Just trust me!" Mary smiles. "Do as I say. Close your eyes." He does. "Imagine yourself floating in the air." He imagines himself in the air, several feet above ground, but not falling

"Oh my God!" Klaus giggles. "You try!"

"Absolutely not." Mary scoffs. Klaus pouts at her. "Well, obviously I can't fly like you! Besides I'm scared of heights."

He looks at her weirdly.

"They make me nauseous. Sue me."

"How did you know I could do that?" Klaus asks, but he wasn't suspicious of her. After all, she's just so nice. In fact he's giggling and laughing. As though he's completely and totally high but at the same time completely aware of what's going on.

"You're older self." Mary shrugs.

Yeah.... He doesn't want to deal with that right now. It gives him this weird feeling in his.... body. Like his heart beats really quickly, and it's like he knows that whatever that's about is messy, and maybe dangerous, because everything in his life is messy and dangerous, and Klaus really doesn't want to deal with that. He. Still. Misses. Drugs.

"Where are the dead people even going?" Klaus says to distract himself for a moment before he can sneak away when Mary's not.... there to make those proud eyes at him.

"Hell, probably."

"Hell!?" Well that doesn't make him feel better.

"Yeah, I mean, they're screaming hard." Mary shrugs. "That's not exactly something you do when you go to someplace bubbly and cool."

"That's insane!"

"They're not real people, Klaus."

"Well, they were at some point!" Klaus protests. He's spent too long justifying their actions towards him with the torture they must have endured. "I mean, I don't want to hurt them more than they already ar-"

"Like they didn't want to hurt you?" Mary cuts him off impatiently. "You're a kid, Klaus. These grandpas don't have the decency to not try to hurt you! What's the harm in giving them what they deserve?"

Klaus hadn't thought of it like that. He guesses Mary is right. Right? Yeah, they had no right to treat him the way that they do, and yet.... they were all tortured souls too.

But that isn't Klaus's fault. He was just eight years old when he started getting locked in that mausoleum. He didn't deserve that! The dead... the dead have tormented him his entire life and what did he do? See them!

"Okay," Klaus nods. He lifts up his hand and closes his eyes, not watching as he damns his tormentors to their doom. Mary's right. They don't deserve better.

"See? Isn't that better?"

"Yeah," Klaus nods. He hopes it doesn't ring as fake. It doesn't.

BOOM

Klaus jumps back in shock. "The fuck was that?" He turns towards the noise.

Mary lifts her hands to cup her mouth in horror. "I thought I stopped it." She shudders. Klaus can see tears forming in her eyes. "I thought he could never- that you could never-!"

"Never what?" Klaus demands. "Mary, never what?!"

"I just let him go." Mary whispers. "Fuck, I just let him go!"

"Mary, what are you talking about!?"

"The apocalypse is still on."


End file.
